


The Proposal

by the_savage_daughter_0627



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Proposal (2009)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Avatar & Benders Setting, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Katara/Zuko (Avatar), F/F, F/M, Gen, One-sided Aang/Katara (Avatar), POV Katara (Avatar), POV Zuko (Avatar), Slow Build, Slow Burn, Zuko (Avatar)-centric
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:07:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 50,616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28257405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_savage_daughter_0627/pseuds/the_savage_daughter_0627
Summary: Zuko finds himself in need of a wife when his Earth Kingdom visa application is denied and he's threatened with deportation. His quiet assistant, Katara, just so happens to have dual citizenship. The problem? Making sure their romance is believable.Inspired by one of my all-time favorite rom-coms, "The Proposal"
Relationships: Azula/Ty Lee (Avatar), Hakoda/Kya (Avatar), Ikem/Ursa (Avatar), Katara/Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Suki (Avatar)
Comments: 224
Kudos: 284





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock are some of my favorite actors, which makes "The Proposal" one of my all-time favorite movies. So of course after a recent rewatch, an idea was born to write this story.
> 
> Some dialogue is lifted directly from the movie.
> 
> I also took some liberties with borrowing characters from Legend of Korra. Part of this story obviously takes place in the SWT, and there is a severe lack of Water Tribe characters from AtLA.
> 
> I have no idea where it's going (but I know I want it to go past where the movie ended, so we'll see). Let me know what you guys think so far!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko finds himself faced with deportation unless he can find a way to ensure his Earth Kingdom citizenship. Ty Lee gives him an insane idea.

“What do you mean, my visa application got denied?”

Zhao shrugged his shoulders as Zuko continued to gape at him, slack-jawed. This couldn’t be happening. There was no way. Zuko was an excellent candidate for citizenship. And he hadn’t done anything  _ wrong. _

“I mean, your work visa is about to expire,” Zhao repeated. “And remember when we told you not to go to the Southern Air Temple?”

“We were about to lose Cabbage Corp—”

“Because you weren’t supposed to leave the country while your visa was being processed. And then you went anyway. And there was some paperwork you forgot to fill out.”

“I didn’t have a choice!” Zuko snapped. “Besides, it’s not like I’m really even an immigrant! I’ve lived in the Earth Kingdom off and on for ten years!”

“The government doesn’t see it that way.” Zhao leaned his elbows on his desk and tented his fingers in front of his face. “We’re going to have to let you go, Zuko.”

Zuko’s jaw dropped open again. “You can’t fire me! My uncle owns the company!”

“I’ve already discussed it with him. We’ve decided that it’s the best course of action going forth.”

Zuko raked his hand through his hair. “There’s...there’s gotta be something I can do. I suppose I can work from the Fire Nation, video conferences and emails and stuff—”

“You can’t work for an Earth Kingdom company while living in another country, Zuko.” Zhao spread his hands. “You can apply again, but you can’t live in the country for at least a year.”

Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled hotly. This was the  _ last  _ thing he needed today. He was already behind on a huge budget report that was due today—thanks, Haru—and the printer was on the fritz,  _ and  _ he was having dinner with his awful sister and her fiancée tonight. Zuko had walked into a busy day, with a staff meeting followed immediately by a client meeting, only for his assistant, Katara, to tell him that his immigration lawyer had called, stating that it was  _ imperative  _ that he call the woman back. Then Zhao, the head of operations and technically Zuko’s boss, had called him in for a meeting. That had led to this.

“This can’t be happening. I can’t just move back,” Zuko muttered. “There has to be some other way.”

“I’m sorry, Zuko.” Zhao didn’t sound sorry at all, which didn’t surprise Zuko. “We’d do anything to keep you here. If there was any way to make this work—any way at all—we’d be doing it.”

There was a knock at Zhao’s office door, and then Zuko’s assistant, Katara, poked her head in.

“We’re in a meeting,” Zuko snapped.

“Sorry,” she said timidly. “But Mr. Sato of Future Industries is on the line. I told him you were engaged, but he was very insistent.”

Zuko closed his eyes and huffed out a breath. Then he looked at Zhao. “Can I take that call? Or is my termination effective immediately?”

Zhao sighed. “You have until the end of the week. In the meantime we’ll be transitioning. Haru will be taking your place—”

“ _ Haru? _ ” Zuko couldn’t believe it. “He can’t even get his reports in on time and you trust him with some of our biggest accounts?” 

“We don’t have much of a choice. Someone has to manage them.” 

Zuko stood up and curled his lip in distaste. “Thanks, Zhao.”

He stormed out of the office with Katara on his heels. 

She had been his assistant for the past year. She was quiet and diligent, always making sure he stayed on top of his schedule. She rarely missed work and she mostly kept to herself. In fact, Zuko barely knew anything about her. Not that he cared to—she was far too low on the totem pole of Jasmine Dragon Marketing for him to invest much time in. 

“You’re...are you getting let go?” Katara asked quietly. 

Zuko shot a glare at her from over his shoulder as he stormed to his office. “ _ No _ . Yes. Fuck!” 

He threw open his office door and stomped over to his desk, throwing himself into his chair before he pinched the bridge of his nose again. Katara hesitated in the doorway, wringing her hands in front of her as she worried her bottom lip between her teeth. She had seen Zuko worked up before, but there was something different about this. 

“Sir—”

“Cancel my meetings. Or give them to Haru. I really don’t care.” Zuko stood up and headed for his coat rack. “I mean, he’s getting the job anyway. Might as well see what it’s about.”

“Mr. Sato is still on the line—”

“I don’t give a shit about Mr. Sato.” Zuko shrugged angrily into his jacket and turned back to Katara. “Transfer him to Zhao. He can deal with him.”

“Yes, Mr. Sozin.”

Zuko moved towards the doorway, but Katara didn’t move. She looked up at him with her ridiculously blue eyes, and Zuko felt another wave of frustration wash over him. She was like a baby deer, or a duckling, wide-eyed and innocent but so naïve. Why couldn’t she just leave him alone?

“Excuse me,” he bit out.

Katara held her ground. “I’m sorry, Mr. Sozin.”

“That’s nice.” 

He pushed past her and started for the elevator. What the hell was he going to do?

* * *

  
  


Azula let out a sharp laugh. “They’re  _ deporting _ you?” 

Zuko dropped his head into his hands. Why hadn’t he cancelled this stupid dinner? Azula was just going to make fun of him, and really, that was the last thing he needed. But he knew Azula would find out sooner or later, and considering how shitty the day had already been, he figured it couldn’t possibly get any worse.

“I don’t know how this happened,” Zuko moaned. “My assistant  _ always _ handles this shit for me. How did she miss my immigration paperwork?”

“Well, that’s probably not as important as you leaving the country when you weren’t supposed to,” Azula’s fiancée, Ty Lee, piped up. She plucked an olive out of her martini and popped it into her mouth before she chewed it thoughtfully. “Isn’t there something you can do?”

“I can reapply. In a  _ year _ .”

Azula arched her brow. “What are you going to do? Does Father know?”

“Yes, because calling up dear old Dad was definitely my top priority when I found out I was being deported  _ and _ fired.” Zuko grabbed his glass of whiskey and took a deep pull. Getting drunk sounded like a good answer to his problems. It wouldn’t actually  _ solve _ any, but it would help him forget them. “What the fuck am I going to do?”

Ty Lee took a dainty sip of her martini. “You could get married.”

“ _ What? _ ”

Azula turned to her as a grin spread across her face. “Babe, you might be a genius.”

Zuko glanced between the two of them. “What the hell is she talking about? How will getting married stop me from getting deported?”

“Because, dum-dum, if you marry an Earth Kingdom woman, it gives you citizenship.” Azula rolled her eyes. “Duh.”

Zuko frowned. “That’s crazy.”

Ty Lee shrugged. “People do it all the time. You just have to make it convincing.”

Zuko scrubbed his hand down his face. Was he really considering this? Or was it actually insane? The answer to both of those questions was yes. But Zuko couldn’t go back to the Fire Nation, back to where his father was. Zuko had gotten away from him. He couldn’t go back. 

“Are you seeing anyone?” Ty Lee asked. “You could ask them. It’s not  _ that _ big of a deal. You just have to be married for like, five years.”

“I’m not seeing anyone,” Zuko muttered.

Azula smirked. “He hasn’t seen anyone in a serious capacity since he and Mai broke up in college.”

Ty Lee pouted. “Ooh, that's rough. I’d volunteer, but I’m not an Earth Kingdom citizen. And I’m marrying your sister. That would be weird.”

“Well, there goes that idea then,” Azula said. Her lips quirked downwards. “Sorry, brother. I guess I’ll see you in a year.”

  
  


Zuko couldn’t sleep. It was early and he was still half-drunk so maybe that had something to do with it, but he also knew it had to do with the thought of getting deported. His stomach was twisting into knots of anxiety and all he could think about was the inevitability of returning to the Fire Nation. It wouldn’t go without his father’s notice, and Zuko was loathed to admit he was terrified. He hadn’t spoken to his father in years, but Zuko found that he was still living in fear. 

Ty Lee’s idea kept swirling around in his head. If he got married, he couldn’t get deported. But who could he marry? 

Zuko ran through a mental list of all the women he knew, but he found he couldn’t concentrate on it. Zuko really didn’t know that many women. His life was devoted entirely to his job. His only friends outside of it were Azula and Ty Lee, and they hardly counted. He tried thinking of women from the office, but he wasn’t sure who was an Earth Kingdom citizen and who wasn’t.

_ Katara would know,  _ Zuko realized suddenly. He lifted his head off the pillow and looked at the clock on his nightstand. It was just after nine o’clock. Surely Katara was awake.

Zuko threw the covers off and got out of bed, grabbing his cell phone before he went out to the living room. He lived in one of the nicer condominiums in Ba Sing Se. With JDM being his uncle’s company, Zuko was awarded a cushy salary and bonuses like this apartment. And he was about to lose them all unless he could find a woman to marry by Friday. 

He pulled up his contacts and searched for Katara’s name. His thumb hesitated over the screen. What if she was asleep? What if she didn’t know? And how was he going to explain this to her?

_ Grow a pair and do it, man,  _ Zuko coached himself. He tapped the screen and pressed the phone to his ear.

It rang five times and for a moment Zuko thought that she wasn’t going to answer. But then she was on the other end, saying “Mr. Sozin?” in a way that told him he was  _ definitely  _ crazy. He’d never called her so late before. At least it didn’t sound like she’d been asleep. 

“Hi,” Zuko said, a bit breathlessly. “I’m sorry to bother you so late.”

“No, no, it’s alright. Is everything okay? Did you need something?” 

Zuko exhaled. His heart was pounding hard in his chest and his hands were shaking slightly.  _ Get it together,  _ he told himself.

“I need to ask a favor,” he said at last. “I need to know which women in the office are EK citizens.”

“Um…”

“I know it sounds crazy, but it’s incredibly important.”

He heard Katara clear her throat. “Um, okay. Yeah. Well, there’s me.”

Zuko’s eyebrow shot up. “ _ You’re  _ Earth Kingdom? I thought you were Water Tribe.”

“Well, I am—Southern Water Tribe, actually—but I was born in Omashu so I have dual citizenship.” She paused for a moment. “Can I ask why you need to know?”

Zuko let out an incredulous laugh. He couldn’t believe it.  _ Katara _ had Earth Kingdom citizenship? That meant that he could marry her. But that was insane. She was his assistant! He barely knew her. And there was no way she would go for it. 

An image of his father flashed through his mind and Zuko fought an involuntary shudder.  _ I’ve got to do it. I can’t go back there.  _

“This is going to sound crazy.” Zuko let out a nervous chuckle. “But will you marry me?”

There was silence on Katara’s end for several long seconds. Zuko held his breath as his blood thundered in his ears. The worst she could say was no, right? And then he would just lose his job and be forced to go back to the Fire Nation. No big deal.

Finally, Katara spoke. “Um, Mr. Sozin? Are you alright, sir?”

“Katara, I’m serious.” Zuko swallowed hard. “I need you to marry me.”

“I’m sorry,  _ what? _ ” Katara let out an incredulous laugh. “I’m not going to marry you. That’s insane.”

“I told you it was going to sound crazy, but I’m serious.” He cast a look around the apartment. He couldn’t go back. “I know it's late, but can we meet somewhere? I can explain.”

Katara was quiet again. Then she said, “It  _ is  _ late. Do you want to come over? Or I could come to your place?”

Zuko’s heart leaped in his chest. Maybe there was still hope for him. He turned and started back towards his bedroom.

“It’s okay. I’ll go over there. Just give me...twenty minutes?”

“I’ll text you my address.”

* * *

Katara paced the length of her apartment in the Lower Tier, chewing her bottom lip between her teeth. Had Zuko finally lost his mind? Katara had wondered when that day would come. He worked too much. She saw his schedule. She  _ made  _ his schedule. It was insanity. 

But didn’t that make her crazy too? She worked just as hard as he did, and nearly as many hours. She put up with his shitty attitude. He was  _ such  _ an asshole all of the time! Katara had worked for him for over a year and she could rarely remember a time where he had been grateful for the work she had done, or even offered a simple  _ thank you _ . 

But this was her dream job. Okay, not being an assistant to some asshole marketing guy, but  _ being  _ the marketing guy. And she was slowly working her way up. Working for Zuko put her closer to Iroh Sozin, the big dog. If she could impress him, she could certainly earn a promotion.

What was going on  _ now?  _ All she had caught of his meeting with Zhao—who was somehow an even bigger asshole than Zuko—was that he was being let go. And now this unexpected—and absolutely insane—marriage proposal. What in the hell was going on?

Someone buzzed her intercom. Katara hurried over to the speaker beside the door and answered it.

“Hello?”

“It’s Zuko.”

“Okay. I’ll let you in.”

She pressed the button that unlocked the door. A moment later she heard his footsteps in the hall, and she opened her front door. 

She had never seen Zuko look so unkempt. He always wore pressed slacks and tailored jackets with Fire Nation leather loafers. But right now he was wearing a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and a pair of sneakers. His dark hair was even more mussed than usual. He looked stressed out.

“Come in,” Katara said. She stepped back and gestured to her apartment. “Make yourself comfortable. Um, can I get you anything?”

He shook his head as he came into the apartment. “No, I’m alright. Thanks.” 

He tucked his hands into his pockets as he cast a look around. She wondered what he thought of her place. She had never been into his apartment, but she had been to the building before. She knew he lived a far more luxurious lifestyle than she did with her secondhand furniture. 

Katara swallowed hard. “Would you...like to sit?”

He glanced at her. “Um. Yeah. Sure.”

They sat down on her couch. Katara tucked her feet under her as she turned to face him. Zuko tucked himself into the corner, as if to make himself smaller. He was pinching his nose again. She knew he did that when he was stressed out. 

“So um...what’s going on?” Katara finally asked. “Why...did you ask me to marry you?” 

Zuko let out a sigh before he got straight to the point. “My visa application was denied. If I don’t find a way around it, I’m going to be deported.”

“That’s terrible!” Katara exclaimed. 

His eyes flickered to her. “Yeah. So I need to marry an EK woman to get citizenship.”

“Isn’t that against the law?”

“Yeah, but people do it all the time.”

Katara frowned. “Why me?”

“Well, to be honest, you’re the only Earth Kingdom woman I know well enough to ask,” Zuko replied bluntly.

“Well, I’m Southern Water Tribe technically—”

“But you have dual citizenship, so it works.”

Katara stared at him. He was serious, wasn’t he? Katara blinked owlishly. She couldn’t marry him, even if it meant he wouldn’t get deported. It was against the law, for one. For two, she didn’t love him. She didn’t even really  _ like  _ him. And she knew her grandmother was waiting for her to bring home a nice guy. Zuko did  _ not  _ fit that bill. 

“I’m not gonna marry you, Zuko,” Katara said bluntly.

He turned to her. “Look, I know it sounds crazy. But this is for you, too.”

Katara snorted. “Oh, what? I get to be Zuko Sozin’s wife? You know, the papers say you’re a  _ confirmed bachelor.  _ That’s press-speak for  _ gay. _ ”

His jaw clenched. “I’m not gay. And it would just be for show, okay? We would just have to be married for five years and then we can go our separate ways.”

“And what if I find someone else between now and then? How am I supposed to explain that I’m already married to someone else?” 

“Don’t worry about any of that.” Zuko waved his hand. “Look, if I get deported, Zhao is firing me. They’re going to promote Haru in my place, and he’s going to fire you as soon as that happens.”

Katara’s jaw dropped. “ _ What?  _ Why would he do that? Haru and I get along fine. We’re  _ friends _ . We get drinks after work sometimes.”

Zuko looked at her. “Because he knows my uncle is looking at you for a promotion he wants. So he’ll fire you so you can’t have it.”

“But if he has your position, then why does it matter?”

“Because I’ll be back. And my uncle will give me my job back. And then it’ll be between you and Haru for the other position. Get what I’m saying?”

Katara worried her bottom lip between her teeth. Could it be true? Or was Zuko lying just to get her to go along with it?

“There isn’t anyone else you can ask?” Katara asked quietly. 

Zuko snorted out a laugh. “Are you kidding? Katara, you’ve seen my schedule. I’m a workaholic. I spend more time with you than any other woman I know.” 

“Zuko…” Katara trailed off. 

What could she say? This was crazy. But Katara was also a nice person. She was always helping people, big or small. She never turned her back on people who needed her. And Zuko needed her.

“I’ll sweeten the deal then,” Zuko said. “I’ll pay you twenty thousand dollars a year for each year that we’re married. And I’ll pay for the divorce.” 

Katara gaped at him. “That’s...really not necessary.”

Zuko turned to face her. There was something in his eyes, something akin to fear, that tugged at Katara’s heartstrings and made her wonder what he was so afraid of back in the Fire Nation. 

“I can’t go back there.” His voice was a low murmur. “I will literally do anything you want if you say yes.” 

Katara swallowed hard. His golden eyes seemed to smolder with his desperation, and Katara knew that he meant every word he said. 

“Okay,” she said. “I’ll marry you.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko and Katara tell Zhao and Iroh that they're engaged.

When Katara came out of her apartment building the next morning, she was surprised to see Zuko’s black Challenger in the parking lot next to her decidedly shabby Dodge Neon. He offered her a wave from where he sat in the driver’s seat. Then he was stepping out into the late fall air.

Zuko looked more like himself today. The pressed slacks and tailored jacket was back. His dark hair was combed and unmussed, and he was holding himself with the confidence she associated him with. It was a far cry from the Zuko who had shown up at her door last night.

“Good morning,” he said as she walked up to him.

“Morning,” Katara said, confused.

“I thought I’d give you a ride to work,” Zuko explained.

She frowned. “You drove all the way down here to pick me up? That doesn’t make sense. You live  _ and _ work in the Upper Tier.” 

He rubbed the back of his neck. “I wanted to talk to you about this some more before we got to work.”

“Oh.”

For a moment they just stared at each other. Then Zuko cleared his throat and held his hand out to the car. 

“Shall we?” 

Katara nodded. Then Zuko went and opened her door for her. She arched her brow behind his back but she sank onto the black leather seat and muttered a “thank you” to him before Zuko shut her door and came around to sit beside her. As he shut his door, she caught a whiff of his cologne. If she wasn’t mistaken, it was bamboo, and maybe teak wood.

Katara shifted in her seat. Zuko had been her boss for a year, but she couldn’t recall a time they had been in such close quarters together. And she was going to marry him. She must have lost her mind.

Zuko looked over at her. “Thanks again. For all of this.” He gestured to two coffee cups sitting in the holders. “I got you a latte. I didn’t know how you like your coffee, so I just told the barista to make something popular. I think it’s carmel or something.”

Her eyes flickered to the cup. “Oh. Thanks.” 

Zuko offered her a half-smile, then he turned the engine over and backed out of the spot. 

Once he was back on the road he glanced over at her again. “Okay, so we have to tell Zhao we’re getting married so they don’t fire me.”

Katara nodded. “Okay.”

“Then I need you to set up a meeting with my immigration lawyer—shit.” He shook his head. “I’ll set it up.” Zuko looked at her again. “You can’t be my assistant anymore. Ethics and all that.”

“So I’m getting fired because of this?” Katara gasped. “If that’s the case, then I’m not gonna do this.”

Zuko shook his head again as he changed lanes. “No, no, no. We’re gonna get you that promotion. We just have to do this first, okay?”

Katara let out a breath of relief. “Okay.”

He peeked over at her again. “Don’t worry. I’m not gonna let this fuck up anything for you.”

Katara twisted her hands together in her lap. “Well, I looked into this last night. And they’re gonna make sure that we’re like, serious. So they’re gonna ask us all kinds of questions that a real couple would know, and they’re gonna make sure we live together, and do all of that.”

Zuko’s jaw tightened. “Are you backing out?”

“No,” Katara said. “But if we’re going to do this and not get caught, we have to do it right.”

Zuko nodded. “Okay. So we just got engaged. We kept our relationship a secret at the office because of conflicts of interest. No one knew about it.” He thought about it. “I’m sure I can get my sister and her fiancée to back me up. It was their idea anyway.” 

“My family is going to lose their shit.” Katara pressed her hand to her forehead.

Zuko glanced over at her, frowning. “In a good way or bad way?”

“Both. They’ve been waiting for me to get married. I’m almost thirty so my grandmother is convinced I’m going to be an old crone.” She rolled her eyes. “Then when they realize you’re Fire Nation, they’ll probably be a little less thrilled.” 

Zuko arched his brow. “What’ve they got against us?”

“Well, the Hundred Years’ War. My grandmother still remembers it. How the Fire Nation put the SWT in internment camps and stuff.” 

It was Zuko’s turn to shift in his seat. Now seemed like a bad time to tell Katara that his grandfather and great-grandfather fought in that war. 

“Oh,” he said instead.

Katara shrugged. “They’ll get over it, I’m sure.” She looked at him. “But they can  _ never  _ know that this was a sham, okay? When we get divorced we’ll just say you cheated on me or something.”

“Okay, I take offense to that. I would  _ never _ cheat on you,” Zuko said defensively. “Or anyone, for that matter. Why don’t we just say we didn’t want the same things out of life or grew apart or some shit?”

Katara shrugged. “Whatever. We’ve got time to find a reason to get divorced.” 

* * *

“There’s something you should know,” Zuko said. He and Katara were in Zhao’s office. He reached over and took Katara’s hand, ignoring how foreign it felt to do so. “We’re getting married.” 

Zhao’s eyebrows lifted as he looked back and forth between the two of them. “You’re getting married?”

“Yes,” Zuko said with more confidence than he felt. 

Zhao appraised Katara. “Isn’t she your secretary?”

“Assistant,” Katara corrected. “I’m his assistant.” She looked up at Zuko and put on the most lovey-dovey smile she could manage. “And we’re...in love.”

“Is that so?” Zhao didn’t seem convinced. 

_ Shit,  _ Zuko thought. If they couldn’t even convince  _ Zhao _ , how would they convince his lawyer and INS? 

“Yeah, it is,” Zuko said with faux confidence. He gave Zhao a pointed look. “I know what it looks like, but let’s be real here, Zhao. It wouldn’t be the first time one of us fell in love with our assistants. Whatever happened with you and Ming, anyway?”

Color rose in Zhao’s cheeks. “Hmph,” he grunted. “And what does your uncle have to say about it?”

“He doesn’t know,” Zuko said. “No one does. We’ve kept it under wraps…”

“For months,” Katara added. “Because...of the promotion Iroh has been considering for me. We didn’t want anyone to claim favoritism. You know, conflicts of interest and all that jazz.”

“Exactly.” Zuko nodded in agreement. 

“I see.” Zhao tented his fingers in front of his face. “I think we need to address it with Iroh before we go any further. Let me see if he’s available.”

Fifteen minutes later, Iroh walked into Zhao’s office. Iroh was not someone Katara would normally consider intimidating, but she had only ever been on his good side. But when he came into Zhao’s office, his golden eyes gleamed with intelligence and his mouth was set tensely, and Katara wondered if she and Zuko had just made a huge mistake.

“So, you and Miss Kuruk are getting married then, nephew?” Iroh drawled. 

“Yes, Uncle,” Zuko answered. “I know it seems sudden, but it’s really not.”

Iroh turned to Katara. “Miss Kuruk?”

“I...Zuko and I care very much for each other,” she managed to say. “We’re just two people who weren’t meant to fall in love, but we did.”

Zuko smiled at her in a way that was alien. Katara wasn’t sure that she had ever seen him smile like that before, and it certainly had never been directed at  _ her _ . It was a little unsettling. 

“I couldn’t have said it better myself,” Zuko said. He took her hand again. “It just happened. All those late nights in the office…”

“Spending time together…” Katara added.

“It just—something happened.” Zuko shrugged. “It wasn’t supposed to...but it did.”

“It did.” Katara nodded.

Iroh looked between the two of them. “And you’re happy?”

“So happy,” Katara said.

“So I guess this means you won’t be getting deported after all,” Zhao remarked.

Zuko flashed him a cocky smirk that was more like the Zuko she knew. “I guess not. I hope you haven't told Haru about his promotion yet.” 

Zhao let out a sigh. “No, I haven’t.”

Iroh put his hand on Zuko’s shoulder. “Congratulations, Zuko. I’m glad you won’t be leaving us.” He glanced at Katara. “Though this means that Miss Kuruk won’t be able to be your assistant anymore.”

“We’re aware of that,” Zuko said. 

Iroh smiled at Katara. “Why don’t you come to my office, Miss Kuruk? Let’s discuss what options we have for you.”

“Of course, sir.” Katara shot Zuko a look before she followed Iroh out of the office. 

Zuko turned back to Zhao.

“Congratulations, Zuko,” Zhao murmured. “Though it  _ is  _ a bit convenient.”

“What can we say?” Zuko smirked. “Can’t fight a love like ours.”

“Mm.” Zhao turned back to the paperwork on his desk. “Just make it legal.”

* * *

  
  


By the end of the day, the entire office had heard the news. Katara was packing up her desk on the main floor and trying to ignore the whispers and stares that were being directed her way. 

She hadn’t been lying to Zuko when she said that everyone thought that he was a confirmed bachelor. (Not really  _ gay _ . She hadn’t really meant that. But the tabloids seemed to.) The news of their engagement was the hottest piece of gossip in the office since Zhao’s affair with his secretary, Ming, had been discovered. 

“Hey, so, you and Zuko huh?”

Katara looked up and found Jin, a pretty young woman who was rather new at the company, leaning over the partition that separated their desks. She was grinning excitedly, ready to inhale whatever hot, juicy gossip Katara could tell her.

“Um, yeah,” Katara said. She turned back to her desk and grabbed her stapler, adding it to the box of her things she was slowly collecting. 

The meeting with Iroh had resulted in her being promoted to market analyst, and that included a new office space. She would promptly start tomorrow. 

Katara was internally thrilled. This was what she had been wanting for years, and now it was hers. Iroh had admitted that he was planning on offering her the promotion after the new year anyway, but her and Zuko’s engagement had forced him to promote her early. Katara definitely wasn’t complaining.

“I just can’t believe no one knew! Like seriously, none of us suspected a  _ thing _ . To be honest, I thought you kind of hated him.”

Katara froze as she reached for her mousepad. Then she forced herself to relax. “Well, I did. At first. But um, once you get to know him…”  _ You gotta make this believable, Kuruk.  _ “Zuko is a really great guy.”

Jin propped her chin in her hand as her grin widened. “So, what’s he really like? He’s always seemed like kind of a jerk, you know?”

_ I need to get out of this conversation,  _ Katara thought. But she wasn’t quite done packing. What was a polite way to tell someone to fuck off? 

Thankfully, she was saved by the man in question striding over to her desk. Jin’s eyes widened as she looked between the two of them. Zuko played his part perfectly as he came up beside Katara and wrapped a hand around her shoulders. Katara couldn’t help the involuntary glance at his hand; it seemed so out of place against her shoulder.

“Are you almost ready to go?” Zuko asked, leaning in closer to murmur in her ear. 

_ He’s a damn good actor, I’ll give him that,  _ Katara thought. 

Katara looked up at him with a smile. “Almost. I’m just about done packing up my desk.”

Zuko waved it off. “Don't worry about it. We’ll have my assistant do it.”

“But Katara is your assistant,” Jin said.

Zuko looked at her. “No, actually, Katara has just been promoted. You’re my new assistant.” He pointed to the remaining belongings on the desk. “Get this packed up into this box and taken to room 302.” He looked at Katara with a half-smile. “Your new office. It’s got a great view of the city.”

“Ooh, fancy.” Katara smiled back as she nudged him with her elbow. 

Jin was staring at him slack-jawed. “I’m...your new assistant?”

Zuko’s hand fell away from Katara’s shoulder as he straightened. Katara knew that posture quite well. It was when he stepped into his no-nonsense, boss-man persona that she was very much used to. And when he spoke, his voice had taken on that calm, authoritative note that sparked both fear and admiration at the same time.

“Yes, you are,” Zuko said coolly. “Is that a problem?”

Jin visibly swallowed. “Um, no, sir. It’s not a problem at all.”

Zuko nodded sharply. “Good. I expect to see you here at seven thirty sharp tomorrow morning.” He looked at Katara. “I’ve just got a few things to take care of in the office and then we can go.”

“Okay,” Katara said. 

Zuko walked away, and she and Jin watched after him for a moment. When she looked back up at her, Jin was wide-eyed.

“Do you think I’ll have the same luck being his assistant?” Jin quipped.

Katara’s jaw dropped. Then she closed her mouth and narrowed her eyes. 

“Watch it,” she hissed. “My  _ fiancé  _ is your boss. He can fire you.”

This time it was Jin’s jaw that dropped. Katara spun on her heel and stormed away, feeling a grim satisfaction wash through her as she strutted into Zuko’s office. 

He looked up at her as he hung up the phone, surprised. “Is everything alright?”

Katara dropped into the chair across from the desk. “You might want to rethink your new assistant. I think she wants to get in your pants.” 

Zuko’s good eye widened. Katara had always wondered about the scar that marred most of the left side of his face, but it wasn’t exactly an appropriate question to ask, so she never did.

“Well,” Zuko said. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“I guess you should’ve asked  _ her  _ to marry you,” Katara quipped. 

Zuko snorted out a laugh. “Please. She might  _ actually  _ think I was in love with her.” He met Katara’s gaze. “This arrangement is much better. This is purely business.” He stood up. “Are you ready to go?”

“As I’ll ever be.” Katara stood up too.

Zuko came around his desk and grabbed his coat off the rack. “Let’s get out of here, then.”

The two of them walked through the office. Almost everyone was gone, but those who were still there shot them questioning looks. Katara caught a few snippets of whispered conversation. 

“Married? I didn’t even know they were dating,” someone murmured.

“Dude. For real.  _ Him?  _ He’s such a dick,” someone else said. 

“Katara is so nice. I don’t know what she sees in him,” came another whisper.

“Probably just sleeping her way into a promotion,” another said. “I hear she’s the new market analyst.”

Katara’s hands clenched into fists at her side. Suddenly, Zuko stiffened and stopped walking. Katara nearly bumped into him.

“What?” she asked in a whisper.

“Fuck this,” he hissed. 

Zuko turned towards the room. Katara watched him, wondering what he was going to do. The remaining employees looked up at them. 

“Excuse me,” Zuko said, his voice tense with barely-concealed anger. “Yes, Katara and I are getting married. As you know, my uncle owns the company, and he is just fine with our engagement. As for the rest of you, it’s none of your damn business. Have a good evening.”

Then he grabbed Katara’s hand and pulled her towards the elevator. Once they were alone inside of it, he let go of her hand. Katara looked up at him, wide eyed with surprise.

“Thanks,” she said.

Zuko shrugged. He was leaning against the wall with his eyes set on the doors. His jaw was a hard line and he had stuffed his hands into the pockets of his slacks. Katara knew him well enough to know that he was angry.

“It’s bullshit,” he bit out. “If it were reversed—if you were my boss instead of the other way around—no one would bat a fucking eye. But because I’m a man, and I’m the boss, and you’re a woman who works for me, it’s automatically assumed that you’re just with me for the perks, just sleeping your way to the top. I can’t stand it.”

Katara arched a brow. “Wow. I didn’t take you for a feminist, Zuko.”

His eyes narrowed. “I just hate double standards.”

“Well, still. Thank you. I’m sure the rumor mill will have a heyday with this.” She rolled her eyes. “People are gonna think whatever they want. I don’t care.”

“Probably.” He raked his hand through his hair, messing it up even more. “I’m sorry about that. I guess I didn’t think about that implication.”

Katara shrugged. “It is what it is. People will get over it. In a few months, it won’t even matter anymore.” She grinned up at him. “And besides, with my cushy new promotion, I’ll hardly have to deal with those assholes anyway.”

He chuckled. “Very true.”

The elevator doors opened and the two of them stepped out. Once they reached his car, he opened her door for her again before he came around and got in on the other side.

“I set up a meeting with my immigration lawyer,” Zuko said. “It’s on Monday at nine am. She was...quite surprised.”

“I’m assuming I need to go? Did you tell her?”

“Not yet, but yeah, you have to go.” Zuko peeked over at her again. “So I think we might want to take some time to get to know each other. You know, to make it believable.”

“I’m open all weekend,” Katara said. “You can come over, or I can come to your place.”

Zuko nodded. “Okay, sounds good. Why don’t you come up to my place? I’ve been to your apartment. You probably want to get familiar with mine.”

“Will do, then.” Katara smirked at him. “I’ll make flashcards.”

Zuko snorted. “I don’t think all of that is necessary.”

“I don’t know about that. I’m a very complex person.” 

The corner of his lips turned up. “I have a very good memory.”

“If you say so.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko and Azula have lunch. Katara goes to Zuko's apartment for their "study" session, and things get heated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some things that happen in this story vary differently from the movie. I wanted to go along with the plot of the movie, but I also wanted to expand it. So it's gonna go beyond the ending of the movie, and there will also be more happening than there was during the sequence of the movie. The next few chapters diverge from the movie, but we'll get back to the original plot soon.

“So, I hear you’re engaged.” Azula sank into the chair across from him at their weekly lunch. “Congratulations, brother. Who’s the unlucky lady?”

Zuko scowled. “She’s my assistant.”

“Ooh, scandalous.” Azula arched her brow. “When do I get to meet her?”

“If I had it my way, never,” Zuko bit out. 

“You’ve got to make it look real, Zuzu. That means introducing her to your family.”

Zuko rolled his eyes. He knew Azula was right. 

“Fine,” Zuko gritted out. “I’ll set up a dinner this week.”

“Perfect.” Azula flipped open the menu. “I’m looking forward to it.”

Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation. “Bring Ty too, will you?”

“Of course.” Azula looked up at him. “What’s she like?”

Zuko kept his eyes on his own menu. Why did he agree to weekly lunches with Azula? He never quite knew. But she was still family, and she’d cut all ties with their father to come to the Earth Kingdom three years ago. And while she was still cold and abrasive, she wasn’t as awful as she used to be.

“I don’t know...quiet?” 

Azula barked out a laugh. “ _ Quiet?  _ Come on, Zuzu, you’ve got to do better than that. Immigration is going to test you. You need to know every detail about her, from how she likes her coffee in the morning to her political views.”

“I know that, Azula,” Zuko snapped. He glared down at his menu. “She’s coming over this weekend so we can get to know each other. She’s bringing flashcards.” 

“Flashcards? Wow.” Azula chuckled. “So she’s anal, at least.”

“She’s been a great assistant,” Zuko said. “She’s...she’s punctual, and efficient. She thinks outside of the box.”

“Is she pretty?” Zuko looked up at his sister with another scowl. Azula smirked. “Come on, Zuko. You’re going to be married for five years.”

“It’s business.”

Azula shrugged. “For now.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means that for the next five years, you’re going to be attached to this woman. You’ll have to live together, at the very least.” Azula quirked her brow. “She’s worked for you for a year, and you’ve never found her attractive?”

Zuko mulled that over. He supposed Katara was pretty. Her eyes were the brightest shade of blue he had ever seen, and her chocolate hair looked thick and soft. He’d only ever seen her in slacks and blazers, but he thought she had a nice body. 

“I guess she’s pretty,” Zuko said at last. 

Azula sighed dramatically. “I suppose I’ll have to see for myself.” She smiled at him. “How about Wednesday at the Makapu?”

* * *

  
  


Katara craned her neck to see the top of Zuko’s building. She had been here a handful of times before, usually picking up something or dropping something off with the doorman. She knew just from the main lobby that The White Lotus was for the wealthy.

_ What am I getting myself into?  _ Katara wondered, not for the first time since Tuesday night. But she steeled her nerves as she stepped out of her car and fed the meter. Then she crossed the street and approached the burly door man.

“I’m here to see Zuko—”

“Go on in.” The doorman tipped his head in her direction. “He told me he was expecting you.”

“Oh,” Katara said. “Thank you.”

She stepped into the lobby and cast a look around at the marble flooring and ivory pillars before she crossed to the gold-colored elevator doors. Katara rode up to the sixteenth floor and found Zuko’s apartment. She knocked on the door. 

A few moments later Zuko was filling up the doorway. He was dressed similarly to what he had been wearing when he had come to her apartment the other night. It was still strange to see him dressed so casually in jeans and a t-shirt. 

“Hey,” he said. “Thanks for coming.”

“Yeah, no problem.”

Zuko stepped back to let her in, and Katara crossed over the threshold and into his apartment.

It was  _ huge _ . She could easily fit two or three of her apartments inside of it. It was all dark hardwood flooring, sleek stainless steel appliances, and black leather couches with an open floor plan. Large windows looked out over the city. Katara could only imagine what it would look like on a clear night. 

The door clicked shut behind her and then Zuko was at her side. Katara looked up at him. 

“Thanks for coming,” he said again.

Katara chuckled. “You said that already.” 

Color rose in his cheeks as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Right.” He cleared his throat. “Well, uh, can I get you anything? Water? Wine? Something harder, if you’d prefer?”

“Maybe just a glass of wine to start with,” Katara said. “We should probably stay relatively sober if we want to remember anything.”

“Good point.” Zuko walked into the kitchen and went towards the fridge. He gestured distantly to the living room. “Have a seat anywhere you like.”

Katara crossed the spacious room and took a moment to admire the couches better. Then she shrugged out of her coat and rested it on the arm of the couch before she sat down. A few moments later Zuko came into the room carrying a glass of wine and a bottle of beer. He handed the wine to her before he sat down on the other end of the couch.

Katara took a sip of her wine. It was fruity and pleasant, and definitely tasted expensive. The only kind of wine Katara bought was pink, fizzy, and under nine dollars a bottle. 

“Mm,” she moaned approvingly before she set the wine down on the glass coffee table. “That’s good.”

“Thanks. I don’t drink wine, but I usually keep some around for my sister’s fiancée.” Zuko looked at her. “My sister is a lesbian, by the way.”

“Oh, good to know. It’s not a problem or anything. I’ve got a gay cousin.” Katara reached into her purse and pulled out the notebook and pen she’d brought with her and began to jot that down.

Zuko chuckled incredulously. “You’re taking notes?”

Katara looked up at him. “Um, yeah. If you want this to work, we can’t mess this up.” She reached into her purse and pulled out the stack of flashcards she had made after work the last few nights. “That’s why I made these.”

Zuko raised his brow. “You weren’t kidding.”

“No, I wasn’t.” 

He took a pull off his beer before he placed it on the coffee table. “Well, let’s get started then.”

“I think they might question you harder about me,” Katara said. “Because you’re the one at risk of being deported.”

Zuko nodded in agreement. “Yeah, you’re probably right. Okay. Tell me about you.” 

Katara took off the rubber band that was holding her makeshift flashcards together and held the stack out to him. Zuko took it a bit reluctantly.

“These aren’t gonna be any use if I don’t know the answers,” Zuko pointed out.

“That’s why you’re gonna read the question and then I’ll tell you the answer. Then I’ll quiz you.”

“Got it.” He lifted the first card. “When is your birthday?”

“December 29th, 1992.”

Zuko looked up at her, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “Mine is December 21st, 1990. Two years and a week apart.”

“I know.”

Zuko frowned. “You do?”

“Yeah, of course. Iroh told me last year. He wanted your schedule clear for your birthday dinner.”

“Wow. Okay.” Zuko cleared his throat as he maneuvered the card to the bottom of the stack. He glanced up at her. “To make this easier, how about I also answer the question for myself, and you can write it down.”

Katara nodded. “Sounds good to me.”

“Okay.” Zuko looked at the next card. “Where were you born?”

“Omashu Central Hospital, in Omashu.” Katara looked up at him, her pen at the ready. “You?”

“Caldera Medical Center. In Caldera City in the Fire Nation.” Zuko moved on to the next card. “How many siblings do you have?”

“One. My older brother, Sokka,” Katara answered as she scribbled down his answer. 

“I have two sisters, both younger. Azula and Kiyi.” Zuko grabbed his beer and took a drink. “Kiyi is my half-sister, though.” He set his beer down and looked at the next card. “Your parents’ names.”

“Hakoda and Kya,” Katara replied.

“Ursa and...Ozai.” 

Katara didn’t miss his grimace. “You don’t get along with your dad?”

Zuko looked away as his expression twisted into a scowl. “You’re observant, aren’t you?”

Katara turned her eyes down to her notebook. “Sorry.”

Zuko let out a sigh. “I’ll have to tell you eventually. You’re my...fiancée.”

“I have more questions about family in there. You can tell me more then.” She smiled at him.

Zuko gave her a grateful look. “Thanks.” He moved onto the next card. “Grandparents. Maternal and paternal.”

“My mom’s parents died when she was young, but their names were Maluk and Ikita. My dad’s dad passed away when he was a kid, too, but his name was Karuk.”

“Karuk Kuruk?”

“I don’t know what his parents were thinking.” Zuko snorted out a laugh and Katara grinned. “My dad’s mom is still alive. My gran-gran, Kanna. She’s remarried to an old grouch named Pakku. My grandma is originally from the Northern Water Tribe, and he was her high school boyfriend. They re-met and remarried when I was about fourteen.”

“Lotta family history.”

Katara shrugged. “What about you?”

“On my mom’s side, Jinzuk and Rina. They died when I was a kid, so I never met them. My dad’s parents were Azulon and Ilah. She died before I was born, and Azulon died when I was eleven.” Zuko flipped to the next card. “Where were you raised?”

“Akarta, Southern Water Tribe. It’s a tiny ass village.”

“Caldera City, Fire Nation.” Next card. “Where did you graduate high school?”

“Akarta High School.”

“Caldera Academy For Boys.”

Katara looked up at him, surprised. “You went to an all-boys school?”

Zuko shrugged. “Yeah. Is there anything wrong with that?” 

“No, it’s just…” Katara trailed off for a moment before she lamely finished, “A nice school. I’ve heard about it.”

“If you mean that it’s a place for stuffy rich parents to stick their  _ difficult  _ kids, then yeah.” He shrugged again before he reached for his beer. “It’s a nice school.”

“Oh.”

Zuko took a deep pull off of his beer before he moved on. “Alright. College and degree.”

“I spent two years at Kyoshi Community College before I transferred to Gaoling University where I got my bachelor’s in marketing. I graduated in 2014,” Katara answered, grateful for the subject change. “You?”

“I got my MBA from Ba Sing Se University,” Zuko answered. “I finished in 2013.”

“How did you end up in marketing?” Katara asked. 

Zuko kept his eyes on the stack of cards in his hands. “We can talk about that later.”

“Zuko, if you want this to work, you have to be honest with me. Full disclosure.”

Zuko suddenly got to his feet. The flashcards dropped onto the table with a resounding smack that echoed in the apartment. He turned his back to her as he raked one hand through his hair.

Katara watched him carefully. She knew about his temper. She had mostly avoided it, once she had learned how to, but she had assumed that now—with their current arrangement—that it would be different. Clearly, she was wrong.

“I can’t do this,” Zuko muttered, so quietly she almost didn’t hear him.

“I’m sorry,” Katara said softly. “I didn’t…I didn’t mean to upset you.”

He still hadn’t turned around. “I didn’t think this through. This was stupid. This was—this was a mistake.” Finally, Zuko turned to look at her. “Katara, I’m sorry. But I don’t think I can go through with this.”

Her jaw dropped open. “What?”

“It’s just—it’s too much, okay? I wasn’t thinking straight when I called you. I was drunk. I didn’t think about how complicated this was, and what it would mean. I can’t do this.”

Katara stood up. “We’re in too deep now, Zuko. The entire office thinks we’re engaged. Zhao—your uncle— _ they  _ think we’re engaged. If you back out now, you’ll get deported.” 

“Don’t you think I know that?” Zuko shouted. His voice boomed through the apartment and Katara flinched. He saw her reaction and guilt gnawed at him. His shoulders slumped as he let out a huff of air, like a deflating balloon. “I’m sorry.” 

Katara shook her head. “No. You can’t back out of this.”

Zuko scrubbed his hand down his face. “Katara, you don’t know me. You don’t know what kind of skeletons I have in my closet.”

“You think I don’t have skeletons in mine?” Katara snapped. “You don’t know me either, Zuko. But you asked me to do this because you needed help. Here’s the first thing you need to know about me: I will  _ never  _ turn my back on people who need me.”

For several long moments the two of them stared at each other in the quiet apartment. Katara’s heart was pounding in her chest. Why was she fighting him so hard? If he backed out, she wouldn’t have to marry him! But if he did change his mind, he  _ would  _ be deported. And Katara wasn’t sure why, but she didn’t want that to happen to him. Something bad must have happened in the Fire Nation, something that made him want to commit fraud and risk going to prison instead of going back. 

Zuko swallowed hard. “Katara…”

Was she really...trying to convince him to do this? Why? Zuko didn’t understand. She’d already gotten her promotion. What was in it for her now?

“That’s another thing you should know about me,” Katara said, her voice steely. “I’m stubborn as hell, and you aren’t going to convince me to change my mind.” She grabbed the stack of flashcards and thrust them at him. “Now take these and sit the hell down and get to know me.”

Zuko looked down at the cards before he glanced back up at her, his brow quirked.  _ She’s serious,  _ he thought. He took the cards from her.

“Yes, ma’am,” he murmured as he returned to his seat.

Katara dropped back onto the couch with a sharp exhale. “Good.”

The corner of Zuko’s lips twitched. “You know, if I was still your boss I’d never let you talk to me like that.”

Katara peeked over at him. “Well, then I guess it’s a good thing I’m your fiancée now, isn’t it?”

Zuko chuckled, and the two of them got back to work.

* * *

  
  


Katara leaned back against the couch and rubbed her eyes. “I cannot read another fact about you or I’m going to go crazy.” 

She glanced over at the clock on the wall by the television. They had been working for the last four hours. They’d finally finished the stack of flashcards, and then they had gone back over them to quiz each other once, twice, three times now. There were so many facts about Zuko swirling around in her head that she couldn’t possibly keep them straight. And she was starving, and Katara could  _ never  _ concentrate if she was hungry.

Zuko set the stack of cards down on the table and rubbed his face with his hand. “Same. I just...there’s so  _ much _ . I haven’t had to cram this hard since college finals.”

“Same.” She rubbed her temples. “I’m getting a headache.”

“I’ve got some Tylenol in the bathroom. I’ll go get it.” Zuko stood up and looked down at her. “Maybe I should give you a tour? You should probably know my house, since we’re engaged and whatnot.”

Katara snorted out a laugh. “Yeah, maybe. I don’t think they’ll ask if I know where you keep your sugar though.”

“Better to be safe than sorry. You know it’s like a two hundred and fifty thousand dollar fine if I get caught?”

“Jeez.”

“Yeah.”

Katara got to her feet and followed Zuko down the hallway. He opened the first door and Katara was presented with a clean, austere bedroom with a queen-sized bed, a dresser, and a comfortable looking armchair in the corner by the windows.

“Guest room,” Zuko said. “Usually my sister and Ty Lee sleep in here when they stay with me. But I guess when you move in, you can stay in here.”

Katara looked up at him. “Who says I’m moving in here?”

Zuko frowned. “Well, it’ll look suspicious if you don’t.”

“What’s wrong with my apartment?”

Zuko snorted. “You’re kidding, right? I’m pretty sure I saw a drug deal go down when I came by the other night. I’m honestly surprised my car didn’t get boosted while I was there.”

“Oh, so just because I live in the Lower Tier, it’s not good enough for you?” She planted her hands on her hips. “I’m sorry, but we all can’t be born with a silver spoon in our mouths!”

Zuko narrowed his eyes at her. “Who the fuck said I was?”

Katara rolled her eyes. “Oh, come on, Zuko! Just because I’m from the South Pole doesn’t mean I’m living under a rock! Look at this place! Look at the car you drive. I know what kind of money a marketing manager makes versus their fucking assistant. I’m not stupid.”

“Is this about money? Seriously?” Zuko barked out an incredulous laugh. “Come on, Katara.”

“Yes, it seriously is!” Katara jabbed her finger into his chest. “You offered to pay me  _ twenty thousand dollars _ a year just to be married to you!”

“It’s a fucking  _ business _ transaction, Katara! Of course I’m going to pay you for it!” Zuko shook his head in frustration. “I thought that was a fair price. If you want more money—”

“Spirits, Zuko, it’s not about the money for me!” Katara spun on her heel and stalked down the hallway, exhaling hotly as she tried to reign in her temper. 

“Then what’s it about? All those facts you gave me, you never brought up your mood swings!”

Katara turned back to him and glared at him. “I do  _ not _ have mood swings!”

“Yes, you do! One minute, you’re insisting on seeing this through. And then the next, you see my guest room and you’re blowing up.” Zuko gave her a pointed look. “What the hell is going on?”

Katara pulled up short. For a moment she just stared at him as his words sank in. What the hell  _ was _ going on? Why was she so bothered by the insinuation that she would move in with him? His place was undeniably nicer than hers, sure, but it was the principle of it, damn it!

“I don’t want you to make assumptions about this...this situation,” Katara said slowly, picking her words carefully. “I know you’re used to being my boss, but you’re not anymore. This marriage might be a sham, but we’ve got to work together to make it work. This is a  _ partnership _ , okay?”

Zuko nodded. “Yeah. Okay. You’re right. I shouldn’t have...I shouldn’t have assumed. I should have asked you first.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I...sort of have a control issue? I don’t know. I just sort of…”

“Take control?” Karara suggested.

Zuko snorted. “Yeah, I guess.”

“Trust me. I know.” Katara cracked a grin. “I worked for you.” 

Zuko rolled his eyes, but he was smiling a bit. “Alright, fair enough.” He cocked his head at her. “Wow. Our first fight.”

“Our relationship is moving so fast,” Katara joked.

Zuko jerked his thumb back towards the hallway. “So how about that tour?”

“Sure.” Katara smiled at him. “I’d like to get a better look at my bedroom.”

Zuko gestured to the hallway with a flourish. “Right this way.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko and Katara have their first meeting with the immigration lawyer, who schedules them for their individual interviews next week...after a weekend at Katara's parents house on Kyoshi Island.
> 
> Katara meets Azula and Ty Lee, then Ursa and Kiyi.

Zuko’s knee bounced of its own accord and he tried, unsuccessfully, to will it to stop. Katara sat next to him with a book in her lap, looking as cool as a cucumber. It was maddening. How could she look so calm? He was a nervous wreck. 

Zuko knew it was stupid. They were just telling his immigration lawyer that they were engaged. This wasn’t  _ the _ interview. But this...this made it all so much more real. If they could convince his immigration lawyer, then this was actually going to happen. Zuko was going to become an EK citizen. He would get to keep his job. He would marry Katara…

Was he crazy? Was he so desperate to stay here that he was really going to marry a  _ stranger?  _ Well, Zuko supposed she wasn’t  _ really  _ a stranger anymore. They had spent the last two days learning the basics of each other. Zuko felt like he might know Katara better than anyone else he knew. 

And it turned out that he actually seemed to like her. Katara was witty, intelligent, and caring. They even had some things in common, things Zuko never would have imagined. They both liked horror movies, martial arts, and the ocean. They listened to a lot of the same music. Zuko couldn’t help but wonder what else they shared. He supposed he would find out, since if all went well, he would be married to her for the next five years.

_ This is definitely insane,  _ Zuko thought.  _ I’m risking jail time for this.  _ She’s  _ risking jail time for this. Maybe we’re both crazy _ . 

“Mr. Sozin?”

Zuko looked up and saw his lawyer’s secretary waiting for them. He glanced over at Katara. She was calmly tucking her book into her handbag. Zuko inhaled quietly before he stood up. He and Katara followed the secretary—Zuko was pretty sure her name was Meng—to his lawyer’s office. 

“Here you are,” Meng said cheerfully as she waved them through the door. 

Zuko and Katara exchanged a quick look before Zuko led the way inside.

Mrs. Wu was sitting behind her desk with her glasses perched on the end of her nose as she looked over Zuko’s file. He’d had several meetings with her since he had applied for citizenship, and he liked her well enough. She was efficient and thorough, and came highly recommended by his uncle.

The lawyer stood up and extended her hand. “Mr. Sozin. A pleasure.” Zuko shook her hand briefly before she looked at Katara. “And who is this?”

_ Play it cool,  _ he told himself. 

“This is my fiancée, Katara.” Zuko casually touched Katara’s shoulder.  _ Don’t lay it on too thick.  _ “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”

“Of course.” Mrs. Wu shook Katara’s hand. “Thank you for coming, Miss…”

“Kuruk,” Katara and Zuko supplied at the same time. 

_ Chill out!  _ Zuko scolded himself mentally. 

“It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Wu,” Katara said smoothly to cover their blunder. 

“Yes, please, have a seat.” Mrs. Wu sat down. 

Katara and Zuko sat in the chairs opposite of the desk. Mrs. Wu turned her eyes down to the file in front of her. 

“Thank you for seeing us on such short notice,” Zuko said.

Mrs. Wu glanced up at him with a smile. “Of course.” Her eyes flickered to the file again before she looked at Katara. “Now, I just have one question for you.”

Katara resisted the urge to swallow. “Yes?”

“Are you both committing fraud to avoid his deportation so he can keep his job as marketing manager at Jasmine Dragon Marketing and so that Katara could be promoted to marketing analyst?” 

“Of course not,” Katara said more calmly than she felt. “That’s ridiculous.”

“Where did you hear that?” Zuko demanded to know.

Mrs. Wu looked at the file again. “We had a phone tip Friday afternoon from a man named Haru—”

“Haru is just a disgruntled employee,” Zuko said with a wave of his hand. “He was hoping to get Katara’s promotion, and now he’s convinced that the promotion is a show of favoritism from my uncle and myself. But the truth is my uncle was considering her for the position for a few months now, and that was before he knew about our relationship.”

“Hmph,” Mrs. Wu said.

Zuko gave her an apologetic smile. “I apologize for that. We know you’re extremely busy, so if you just give us our next step, we’d be happy to get out of your hair.”

“Let me explain to you the process that is about to unfold,” Mrs. Wu said. “Step one, will be a scheduled interview. I’ll put you each in separate rooms, and I’ll ask you every little question that a real couple would know about each other.” 

Katara and Zuko shared a brief look. At least they had that covered.

Mrs. Wu went on. “Step two, I will dig deeper. I talk to your neighbors, I interview your coworkers. If your answers don’t match up at any point, you will be deported indefinitely.” She looked at Katara. “And you, young lady, will have committed a felony that is punishable by a $250,000 fine and up to five years in prison. Do you understand this?”

Zuko watched Katara carefully from the corner of his eye. She smiled warmly at Mrs. Wu.

“Mrs. Wu,” Katara began. “The truth is that Zuko and I are just two people who weren’t meant to fall in love, but did. We couldn’t tell anyone, because of my big promotion coming up.”

“We both felt that it would be deeply inappropriate for her to be promoted before we went public,” Zuko added. 

“I see.” Mrs. Wu appraised them. “Have either of you told your parents about your secret love?”

“I’m estranged from my father,” Zuko stated bluntly. “And we’ll be telling my mother this week.”

The lawyer was looking at the file again. “Your mother lives in the Fire Nation with her husband...Ikem, and their daughter Kiyi, correct?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Is she coming to visit?”

“Ah, no. I was going to tell her over Skype.”

“Mm-hm.”

“And after that we’ll be visiting my parents to tell them,” Katara piped up chipperly. “It’s my gran-gran’s ninetieth birthday, and the whole family will be there. We thought it would be a nice surprise.”

Zuko tried to keep his expression neutral as he turned to look at Katara. When did that become a thing? Zuko knew her parents lived in the South Pole. And what happened to making decisions about this as partners? That didn’t sound very partner-like to Zuko. 

“Where is this surprise going to take place?” Mrs. Wu inquired.

“Kyoshi Island,” Katara answered. “So it’s in the country and won’t be an issue for Zuko.” She reached over and squeezed his hand. 

Mrs. Wu eyed Zuko. “And when is that happening?”

“Next weekend,” Katara answered quickly.

“You’re going to Kyoshi Island next weekend?” 

“Yep,” Zuko said. “Next weekend.”

“We’ll be there for the weekend,” Katara reiterated. 

“Alright then.” Mrs. Wu folded her hands in front of you. “I’ll see you both here at eleven am on Monday morning for your scheduled interviews, and your answers better match up on every account.”

Zuko stood up. “Thank you.” 

He and Katara left her office. Zuko didn’t say anything until they were back in his car. Then he turned to Katara.

“By the way, thank you  _ so  _ much for telling me about meeting your parents,” he hissed, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

Katara narrowed her eyes at him. “Hey, my bad! This last week has been crazy. This trip has been scheduled for like, two months. If you paid attention to your own schedule at all, you’d see that I requested Monday off to catch up on sleep.” 

Zuko rolled his eyes as he turned the engine over. “You want this to be a partnership? That means you gotta tell me about shit.”

“I’m sorry, okay?” Katara said exasperatedly. “I didn’t even mean to tell you in there, but when she brought up meeting our parents I sort of panicked—”

“Panicked?” Zuko snorted out a laugh. “Katara, you were  _ so  _ chill in there.”

“No, I really wasn’t.” Katara shook her head. “To be honest, the whole time I kind of felt like I was gonna throw up.” 

Zuko glanced over at her. “Well, outwardly, you never would’ve known. You keep it together under pressure.”

“Was that a compliment?”

Zuko shrugged. “I guess so.” Then he looked over at her. “I just...I want to say thank you. For doing this. I can’t...even put into words how much this means to me. You didn’t have to—”

Katara smiled at him. “You’re welcome. But you  _ might  _ not want to thank me after meeting my family, so you might want to hold off on that.”

Zuko chuckled. “Alright.”

* * *

Katara checked herself in the mirror one last time before she forced herself to leave the bathroom and go back out to the table where Zuko and Iroh were waiting for her. They were still waiting for Azula and her fiancée, Ty Lee, to arrive, and with each passing second, Katara was feeling more and more nervous. 

It was stupid. Azula and Ty Lee knew this whole thing was a farce, so she shouldn’t have felt this way. Iroh was her boss, and while he didn’t know the truth, she already knew him and could more easily pretend to be just as madly in love with his nephew as he expected her to be. 

But Zuko had also told Katara about Azula. She knew that the young woman was a ruthless, cunning businesswoman who had been their father’s right hand woman for years. And while Katara still didn’t know much about their father, she knew enough to know he was bad news. Zuko spoke of Azula with a mixture of love and hate, and Katara was apprehensive about meeting her.

As Katara approached the table, she saw that Azula and her fiancée had finally arrived. Azula saw Katara first, and a smile that Katara could only describe as shark-like creased her face as she stood up and extended her manicured hand.

“You must be Katara,” Azula purred at her. “It’s so nice to meet you. Zuko has told me so much about you.”

“Thanks. It’s nice to meet you too.” Azula had a strong grip, and Katara had to resist the urge to rub her hand when Azula released her.

Azula gestured to the pretty girl beside her as she sat down. Katara sank into her seat beside Zuko.

“This is my fiancée, Ty Lee,” Azula said. 

Ty Lee beamed a smile at her. “It’s so great to meet you! We’ve been wondering when Zuko would find someone.” She gave him a pointed look. “Though you  _ have  _ been keeping her from us.”

Katara peeked sideways at Zuko. She almost couldn’t believe how well Ty Lee and Azula were acting. 

“Sorry,” Zuko muttered. “We had to because of work, you know.”

“Well, I for one am glad it’s out in the open now.” Iroh smiled at Katara. “I’ve always been fond of you, Katara, and I’m glad you’ve grown fond of my nephew as well.”

Katara looked at Zuko and smiled.  _ Fake it ‘til you make it, right?  _ “How can I not? Zuko is an amazing person.” 

“Perhaps you can get him to lighten up,” Azula remarked. “He can be such a wet blanket.”

“Don’t I know it,” Katara chuckled, and Zuko scowled at her. 

“I hear you’ll be meeting our mother via video call later this week,” Azula remarked. 

Katara nodded. “Yes, I’m looking forward to it.”

Azula smiled. This one seemed more friendly. “I’m sure she’ll like you.”

“I hope so,” Katara replied. “Zuko has told me so much about her. And your sister.”

“Half-sister,” Azula corrected sharply.

Ty Lee nudged her. “ _ Zula _ .”

Azula distracted herself by taking a sip of her ice water. “Mm.”

Ty Lee leaned closer to Katara. “So, have you guys decided on a date? Me and Azula are in the middle of planning our wedding, so if you need any help, I’d be happy to give you some recommendations.”

“Thank you, Ty Lee,” Katara said. “We...haven’t decided on a date.”

“And where is your ring? I didn’t notice it,” Azula said.

Katara looked down at her bare hand. “Oh. Um…”

“We haven’t gotten one yet,” Zuko answered. “We’re going to pick it out together. Tomorrow.”

Katara’s eyes flashed to him before she recovered. “Uh, yes. Tomorrow. Zuko wanted to choose it together.”

“Aww, that’s so sweet!” Ty Lee gushed. 

“How kind of you, nephew,” Iroh agreed. “I did the same thing with my wife.”

“Us three girls need to get together sometime soon,” Ty Lee chirped. “We’re going to be...sisters-in-law? Is that right?” She frowned thoughtfully.

Azula patted her hand. “Let’s not get too technical, shall we?” She smiled at Katara. “But I do agree with Ty. We can have a girls’ day out. Do wedding stuff.”

“Right,” Katara said. “Wedding stuff.”

“We’ll set up a date then,” Ty Lee said gleefully. “Ooh, it’ll be so much fun! I think me and you are going to be  _ great _ friends, Katara!”

Katara’s gaze flickered to Zuko for a moment before she beamed a smile at Ty Lee. “Me too.”

  
  


“So that’s Azula, then,” Katara said later that evening as Zuko drove her home.

Zuko nodded slowly. “Yep.”

“She seems…” Katara struggled to find the word.

“Conniving? Manipulative? Like a bitch?”

Katara raised her eyebrows. “I was going to say enigmatic, but I guess that works too.”

“Sorry.” Zuko huffed out a breath. “She’s my sister. Half the time I love her, and the other half of the time I want to strangle her.” He waved his hand. “All of that back there? She’s just playing with me.”

“Well, I thought she was very convincing.”

“Azula could’ve been an actress.” Zuko rolled his eyes. “She’s enjoying this. She  _ lives  _ on high-stakes gambles. It’s her heroin. That’s why she works in the stock market.”

Katara shrugged. “It made this seem more authentic, so I won’t complain.”

Zuko sighed. “Yeah, I probably shouldn’t either.” 

“And Ty Lee seems really sweet. I think she and I might  _ actually _ get along,” Katara said. “That might be kind of nice. I haven’t had a girl friend since I moved up here.”

“Ty’s great.” Zuko shrugged. “If she wasn’t a lesbian, I probably would’ve dated her. As it is, she’s pretty much my best friend.” Zuko glanced over at her. “But don’t let her bubbly persona fool you. She’s into martial arts. She did gymnastics too, almost made it to the Olympics but she busted her ankle up her sophomore year of college.”

“Wow, she sounds pretty cool,” Katara said.

“Yeah, she’s pretty badass.”

Katara looked over at him. “Did you just say  _ badass? _ ”

Zuko’s brow furrowed. “Yeah. So?”

She shook her head. “It’s just...wow. Where was this Zuko hiding when I was working for you? I’d never have imagined you saying that.”

“That’s my work persona. This is me.” Zuko shrugged. Then his eyes flickered over to her. “And you’re one to talk. I never knew you had such a temper.”

Katara blushed. “I guess we’re both just full of surprises, aren’t we?”

* * *

Zuko opened the door and glared down his nose at Katara, who stood on the other side looking apologetic. “You’re late.”

She stepped past him into the apartment and he caught a whiff of her perfume—was that cherry blossoms?—as she let out a sigh. “I’m sorry, alright? Traffic was a nightmare. It is such a pain in the ass driving up here from the Lower Tier.”

“My mother is calling in  _ five  _ minutes,” Zuko snapped as he shut the door. He stalked into the living room where his tablet was propped on the coffee table, waiting for the call. “Would it kill you to be punctual?”

Katara arched her brow at him. “Are you...nervous?”

“Yes, I’m nervous!” Zuko scowled at her. “My mother  _ knows _ when I’m lying. She always has. She’s like some...some lie detector machine, alright? I could never get away with  _ anything _ when I was a kid.”

“So do you think she’s going to know that we’re lying?” 

“Definitely.”

Katara eyed him. “What are we going to do about it?”

Zuko raked his hand through his hair. “I don’t know. Guess we’ll just tell her we’re engaged, and when she asks me about it later, I’ll bullshit her for as long as I can until she figures out what’s going on.”

“Well, I guess that’s one way to go about it.” Katara pointed towards the bathroom. “I’m gonna go freshen up real quick, okay? I may have gotten into a screaming match with an old man who doesn’t understand what the fuck a turn signal is and I want to check my makeup.”

Zuko let out an annoyed sigh. “Hurry up. Three minutes.”

Katara hurried towards the bathroom and Zuko slumped down against the couch. How could Katara be late to the video call with his mother? She was dragging him all the way to Kyoshi Island to meet her parents, and she couldn’t even be on  _ time?  _

He forced himself to take a deep breath.  _ Calm down. It doesn’t matter. None of this is real, it’s fake, and Mom is going to pick up on it real quick. We’ll deal with that when it comes to it.  _

The tablet started to ring.

“Fuck,” Zuko muttered under his breath. He glanced back toward the bathroom. “Katara, come on! She’s calling!”

“Hold on!” Katara shouted back. 

The tablet kept ringing. Zuko glanced at it as his knee began to bounce. He could hear the water running in the bathroom sink. Zuko picked up the tablet and swiped to answer it. A moment later his mom and Kiyi’s faces were filling the screen.

“Hey, Zuko,” Ursa greeted warmly.

“Hey, Zuzu!” Kiyi beamed a grin at him. She glanced around him. “Where is she?”

“She’s coming—”

Katara suddenly plopped onto the couch beside him and smiled at his mom and sister. “I’m right here. It’s so good to meet you—sort of.”

Ursa and Kiyi chuckled. “It’s good to meet you too, Katara,” Ursa said kindly. 

“So this is Katara,” Zuko said, a bit flustered. 

“I have to admit, I’m a little surprised you managed to keep this from me, Zuko,” Ursa said. “But all the same, I’m happy for you.”

“Thanks, Mom,” Zuko said sheepishly. 

Katara couldn’t believe the resemblance between Azula and Ursa. She looked like an older version of her daughter. Katara couldn’t help but wonder if that meant Zuko looked more like his father.

“If it makes you feel better, we haven’t even told my parents,” Katara remarked. 

“Iroh says you’re going to Kyoshi this weekend to meet them,” Ursa said.

Zuko resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose. “You’ve been talking to Uncle, I see.”

“Of course,” Ursa said as though it were obvious. “Just because I’m divorced from your father doesn’t mean I don’t stay in touch with Iroh.”

“Send me pictures of Kyoshi, will you?” Kiyi asked with a bright smile. “I hear it’s really pretty there.”

Katara studied Kiyi for a moment. She looked a lot like Azula and Ursa. She was only eighteen too, if she remembered correctly. She seemed very sweet.

“It’s beautiful,” Katara told her with a smile.

“Did you grow up there?” Kiyi asked her.

“No, I was actually raised in the South Pole, but we went there a lot growing up,” Katara said. “My brother’s wife is from there.”

“Ugh, I wish I could see it.” Kiyi pouted.

“I’ll take you there sometime,” Zuko said placatingly. 

Kiyi lit up. “Really? Oh my spirits, that would be  _ amazing,  _ Zuzu!” 

Zuko smiled at her. “Of course I will, kiddo.”

“ _ Don’t  _ call me that!”

“I’ll stop as soon as you quit calling me Zuzu.”

Katara glanced between the two siblings. It was clear that Zuko adored his youngest sister, and their relationship was a stark contrast to his and Azula’s relationship. She hoped she would get to meet her in person soon.

“So tell us about yourself, Katara,” Ursa said. “This has come on so suddenly. I feel like I don’t know anything about you at all.”

“Oh! Um…” Katara pursed her lips as she trailed off. She  _ hated _ that question. She knew herself, of course she did, but when someone asked her directly what she was like, her brain seemed to short circuit. “Well, I’m from the South Pole. Obviously. I said that. Um, I work with Zuko. Well, I actually worked  _ for  _ Zuko up until like, last week. I was his secretary—well, assistant. Um, I just got promoted to a market analyst position. Because of um, you know, the engagement.”

“Oh,” Ursa said. “That’s...nice.”

“Was he bossy?” Kiyi asked. “’Cause I don’t think Zuko has a bossy bone in his body.”

“Kiyi…” Zuko groaned.

Katara let out a laugh, grateful for Kiyi’s save. “Yes, he was a little bossy. He has to be. He’s  _ the _ boss of our entire department. And he’s very good at his job.” She caught Zuko’s half-smile and returned it with one of her own.

“Have the two of you chosen a date?” Ursa asked. “Of course Kiyi, Ikem, and I will fly out for the wedding, but I  _ would _ like to come out and meet you in person before then.”

“Mom, we  _ just _ got engaged a few weeks ago,” Zuko said. “We haven’t settled on anything yet, but I swear, you’ll be the first to know. And we’ll plan a trip before the...wedding.” 

“Perfect.” Ursa smiled. “But we should probably let you go. We’ve got to go pick Ikem up from the airport. He’s just getting back from the Western Air Temple. We’ll talk soon, okay?”

“Okay, Mom.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Kiyi grinned. “Love you, Zuzu.”

“Love you too, kiddo.”

“Don’t  _ call  _ me that!”

Ursa smiled at Katara. “It was good to talk to you, Katara. We’ll do this again soon, alright?”

“Okay.” Katara smiled back at her. 

They disconnected the call and Zuko leaned back against the couch. He closed his eyes and massaged the bridge of his nose with his fingers.

“That was fucking stressful,” Zuko muttered. 

“Really? I thought it went well.” Katara slumped against the cushions. “Except for the part where I made myself look like a total idiot when I couldn’t even answer a simple question about myself.” Her head lolled against her shoulder as she looked over at him. “Great first impression, amiright?”

“I need a drink.” Zuko peeled himself off of the couch and started for the kitchen. “Do you want one?”

“Yes, please.”

“Wine?”

“Screw that. Do you have any whiskey?”

Zuko glanced back over his shoulder at her, surprised, but Katara had her eyes closed. He went into the kitchen and pulled two glasses from the cupboard before he got out the whiskey. He added ice cubes and carried both drinks back to the living room. Katara took her glass from him before he sat down beside her.

“Well, I’m glad that’s over,” Zuko said before he took a drink.

Katara took a generous gulp of whiskey. “Me too.” She looked over at him. “Kiyi seems sweet. Very...different from Azula.”

“She is. They’re total opposites.” His expression twisted. “They don’t really get along. Or rather, Azula doesn’t get along with Kiyi. She’s jealous of her because she thinks Mom loves Kiyi more, but that’s not true.”

“Wow.”

Zuko peeked over at her. “My family is a little fucked up.”

Katara snorted. “Who’s isn’t? Just wait until you meet  _ my _ family.” 

They sat quietly for a few moments. Then Zuko said, “So I was thinking.”

“What’s up?”

“We’re flying out pretty early to Gaoling on Friday morning.” He tapped the rim of his glass with his finger. “Why...don’t you stay here tomorrow night? Then we can just ride to the airport together. And you won’t have to get up so early to get there and I just...I thought it might be easier for you.”

Katara arched her brow. “You want me to spend the night?”

“Why not?” Zuko shrugged. “We’re gonna spend the weekend together. And eventually you’re going to move in here. Might as well get used to it a little bit?”

Katara considered it. For some reason, the thought of staying here made her nervous. But Zuko was right. This was going to become a thing sooner rather than later. And really, it made more sense.

“Okay,” Katara said at last. “I’ll bring my suitcase to work with me, and then I’ll just drive over here afterwards. My car will be safe here for the weekend, right?”

Zuko snorted. “A hell of a lot safer than leaving it parked at your apartment.”

“There’s  _ nothing  _ wrong with my apartment,” Katara said defensively.

“Is pride a Southern Water Tribe thing? I’ve always heard it is.”

Katara snorted. “Yeah? Well, we say the same thing about the Fire Nation.” 

  
Zuko chuckled, and Katara couldn’t help but grin.  _ Maybe this won’t be so bad,  _ she thought.  _ Maybe it’ll be okay.  _


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko and Katara go ring shopping before dabbling in domestic life.

“Zuko. You are  _ not  _ buying my ring from Gyatso’s.”

“Why not?”

“Because I’ve  _ looked  _ at their rings, and I know how expensive they are!”

“Don’t worry about it.”

Katara sputtered. “Don’t worry about it! Yeah, okay!” 

Zuko looked over at her from the driver’s seat. “I’m serious. If you were my  _ actual  _ fiancée, I’d spare no expense. And if we want this to look legitimate, I  _ have  _ to spare no expense, okay?”

Katara stared at the building in front of them, her brow furrowed. Why did she care so much, anyway? It was  _ his  _ money. He could spend it however he liked. But Katara hated people spending money on her, especially extravagant amounts when she would’ve been satisfied with a ring from a department store. 

“I don’t want it to be over a grand.”

“Three grand.”

“Fifteen hundred.”

“Thirty five hundred.” 

“Zuko!”

“I’m serious.” He shifted in his seat until he faced her. “I want you to walk in there and pick whatever ring you want without looking at the price tag, and I’ll buy it.”

Katara stared at him. “You’re crazy.”

“Utterly. But I mean it.”

She looked away from him as she let out a sigh. “Fine. But I get to do what I want with it after we get divorced.”

“Deal. Now let’s go in there and pretend to be madly in love.”

Zuko got out of the car and came around to open her door. Katara resisted the urge to shake her head as she got out of the car. The two of them walked inside together and were immediately set upon by an older gentleman with an impressive goatee and a kind smile. 

“Mr. Sozin.” The old man bowed shortly. “Your uncle said you and your fiancée would be coming by.”

“Did he now?” Zuko murmured. 

“I am Mr. Gyatso,” the old man said. He turned to Katara. “What a fine young woman you are, Miss Kuruk. Why don’t you come take a look at our engagement rings and see what catches your eye?”

“Thank you,” Katara said politely. 

Mr. Gyatso gestured to the cases near the far side of the room. Katara drifted over to them with Zuko in tow. She eyed the jewelry in the cases they passed: diamond necklaces, sapphire earrings, sterling silver watches, and more. All of the pieces were beautiful—and offensively expensive. 

They came to rest in front of a long display filled with dazzling rings. Some were fancy and some were simple. Some had dozens of delicate diamonds while others had one large central diamond. Some were accentuated by other precious gems. There were silver bands, gold bands—even rose gold bands.  _ No cubic zirconia here,  _ Katara thought.

“Whatever you like,” Zuko murmured in her ear. 

Katara peeked over at him. “You know, in the Water Tribes, a man typically proposes with a betrothal necklace.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes. In the old days, the man would actually find and carve the pendant himself, and he would even make the leather band.”

“Well, I don’t think I can do all of that.” Zuko eyed her. “But if you’d prefer a necklace, I’m not gonna protest it.”

Katara shook her head. “No, I’ll pick out a ring. Betrothal necklaces are...well, a ring is fine.” 

“Do you know what sort of ring you’re interested in?” Gyatso inquired as he came to stand beside them. “Vintage? Solitaire? Halo?”

Katara’s eyes widened. She only had the vaguest idea of what any of those meant, since she had been Suki’s Maid of Honor when she and Sokka had gotten married. 

“Simple?” Katara squeaked.

Gyatso chuckled warmly. “It can be a bit overwhelming. Why don’t you tell me what you like?” He appraised Katara. “I can see that you’re from the Water Tribes. North or South?”

“South.”

Gyatso smiled. “I’m from the Southern Air Temple. We’re practically neighbors.” The two of them shared a brief laugh before Gyatso said, “Perhaps you would like to look at our betrothal necklaces instead? I’m afraid the selection is rather small, as there is not a large population of Water Tribesfolk here, but we do have some excellent pieces.”

“No, an engagement ring is fine.” Katara turned back to the display case. “I want something...simple, yet elegant. Delicate. Something like…” Her eyes fell on a diamond set on a rose gold band. It was plain, without any embellishments, but still lovely. She pointed to it. “Like that.”

“An exquisite choice,” Mr. Gyatso said. “That is a catalina diamond set in 24 karat rose gold. Let me pull it out of the case for you to try on.”

He went around the display case and unlocked it before he plucked out Katara’s chosen ring, nestled into silk lining.

“Are you trying to choose something cheap?” Zuko murmured to her as Gyatso came back to them. “Because it’s not going to work. Don’t let that plain appearance fool you—a diamond cut like that is gonna be pricey.”

Katara arched her brow at him. “Are you trying to talk me out of that ring?”

Zuko gave her an exasperated look. “I want you to pick something you genuinely like, Katara. Not something you think will go easy on my bank account.”

“I don’t see why it matters.”

“Because it just does—”

Mr. Gyatso held up the ring. “Here we are.” He held the box out to Zuko. “Would you like to do the honors, Mr. Sozin?”

“Of course.” 

Zuko took the ring out of the box and Katara offered him her hand. He cupped her hand gently with one of his while the other slid the ring into place on her left finger. 

“What do you think, Miss Kuruk?” Mr. Gyatso asked.

Katara took a moment to inspect the ring. She flexed her hand into a fist and twisted it back and forth, watching the way the light refracted on the diamond.

“How much is it?” Katara asked.

“Let’s not worry about that,” Zuko said. “Do you like it?”

Truthfully, she didn’t. She thought the diamond looked too big on her hand. She slid it off her finger and gave it back to Zuko.

“No,” she said. “Not that one.”

Mr. Gyatso smiled. “We’ll keep looking, then.”

They spent the next hour browsing the vast collection. Katara tried to avoid looking at the price tags, but it was nearly impossible. And it seemed that nothing Gyatso’s offered was under three thousand dollars.

“How much was the ring that I picked out first?” Katara asked Zuko when Mr. Gyatso had left them to help another customer.

“Do you really want to know?”

“Probably not, but tell me anyway.”

“Five thousand dollars.”

Her jaw dropped open. “Holy shit. And you were really going to buy it for me?”

Zuko shrugged. “Of course. Katara, I would spend twenty thousand dollars on an engagement ring for you just to show how much I appreciate you doing this.”

Katara felt heat rise in her cheeks. “There’s really engagement rings that cost twenty thousand dollars?”

“Oh yeah.” Zuko nodded. 

Katara looked at him quizzically. “How do you know so much about engagement rings anyway?”

“Who do you think Azula enlisted to help pick out Ty’s ring?” 

Katara let out a sigh. “Okay, then help me out. I know next to nothing about them. I don’t know what kind of style I want, or if I want a gold band or silver, or anything like that.”

Zuko arched his brow at her. “You mean you’ve never like, looked at engagement rings out of boredom? Ty Lee’s had a Pinterest wedding board since high school.”

Katara shrugged as she dropped her eyes to the display case. “To be honest, after my last relationship, I didn’t think I’d ever want to get married. That guy was an asshole.”

Zuko studied her for a moment. “Alright, I’ll help you.” He looked at the rings. “I think a silver band would look nice. Round diamond, with smaller diamonds to accentuate. Something sophisticated, but not gaudy. Probably a...halo set.” 

“Wow, I’m impressed.” Katara arched her brow at him. “I’ll admit I have no idea what most of that meant, but I’ll take your word for it. See anything that fits that description?”

Zuko pondered over the rings. Then he pointed. “That one.”

Katara studied the ring he had chosen. It was beautiful, really. The center diamond wasn’t too big, and the delicate diamonds circling it complimented the ring perfectly. The silver band was dainty and gleamed under the display lights.

“Let’s check it out,” Katara said.

They flagged down Mr. Gyatso and he brought it over for them. Zuko carefully placed the ring on her finger and Katara admired it.

“Wow,” she said in awe. “It fits perfectly.”

“It’s beautiful,” Mr. Gyatso agreed. 

Katara looked up at Zuko. “What do you think?”

He smiled at her. “It’s perfect.”

* * *

“This is weird, right?” 

They were sitting at the small dining room table in Zuko’s apartment sharing a meal of takeout. Katara had changed out of her slacks and blazer into a sweatshirt and yoga pants, and Zuko had exchanged his starched button-down and tie for sweats and a t-shirt. 

Katara was slowly noticing that Zuko was...good-looking. Even with the scar that she  _ still  _ didn’t know the story behind. He had pale skin and golden eyes that seemed to smolder or ignite depending on his mood, complimented nicely by his raven-colored hair that never stayed combed and neat for long. And the more she saw him outside of his business clothes, the more she realized that Zuko was well-built, with wiry arms and broad shoulders. 

It was strange to her that she had never noticed that during the time she had worked for him. And now she was wondering what he thought about  _ her _ , if he had ever found her attractive. Not that she would ever have the nerve to ask.

Zuko swallowed his bite of lo mein. “Totally.”

“Well, I’m glad I’m not the only one.” Katara took a sip of her wine. The light above them caught her ring, and Katara found herself looking at it again. She set the glass down so she could twist her hand to watch the light refract. “Thank you for the ring. It’s...it really is beautiful.”

Zuko shrugged. “Don’t mention it. I want this to be as painless for you as possible.” His eyes dropped to his plate. “I know I’m asking a lot from you, and I...I want you to know how much I appreciate this, Katara.”

“I know you do, Zuko.” Katara offered him a smile. “Though to be honest, I think I have to be a little crazy to go along with all of this. I mean, this is more than just weird. It’s actually kind of insane.”

Zuko snorted. “Yeah, it is.” He looked up at her. “Why  _ did _ you agree to it, anyway?”

Katara shrugged as she pushed a piece of dumpling around on her plate. “To be honest, I really don’t know. I know that I didn’t want to get fired. And...I know that I couldn’t let you get deported. To just...have your whole life ripped away from you. I couldn’t imagine it.” She shook her head slowly. “And I mean, I figured you were pretty desperate if you were asking  _ me _ to marry you.”

“Yeah…” Zuko rubbed the back of his neck. “To be completely honest, I don’t really date. Or have friends. Basically, the only people I really hang around in a non-work related capacity is Azula and Ty Lee.” 

He peeked up at Katara, half-expecting her to laugh at him. But to his surprise, Katara just nodded.

“I’m pretty much in the same boat,” she said. “I don’t really have any friends up here. I’ve been on a few dates, but nothing serious.”

Zuko frowned. “Really?”

“Really.” Katara cocked her head at him. “Why is that surprising?”

Zuko shrugged. “I don’t know. Everyone at the office seems to like you. And I thought you said you went out for drinks with Haru.”

“Well, sometimes. But it’s not like we’re really friends or anything.” Katara’s mouth puckered. “I’m pretty sure Haru had a crush on me when I first started at JDM, but I was fresh out of a bad relationship and not looking for anything, so we just never did anything about it. And Jin only likes me because I’m close to you and she’s wanted to bone you since  _ she  _ started working there.”

Zuko snorted out an incredulous laugh. “Well, that sucks for her. I’m a taken man.” 

Katara laughed. Then she looked at him. “We really are crazy, aren’t we?”

“Completely fucking nuts,” Zuko agreed with a laugh.

Katara slid off of her stool and grabbed their plates. “I’ll do the dishes.” 

“You don’t have to do that.”

“I don’t mind.” Katara looked at him as she carried the dishes to the sink. “I like to keep a clean house.”

“So do I.”

“I guess that’s something we have in common, then.” Katara scraped the remaining food into the garbage before she turned the water on. “You seem to have a well-furnished kitchen. Do you cook?”

“I do, actually.”

Katara quirked her brow at him. “Impressive.”

Zuko chuckled as he drifted over to her. “Can you cook?”

“Definitely. My grandmother was a chef. She taught me everything I know.” Katara peeked up at him. “How about I cook us dinner when we get back?”

The corner of his lips tugged up into a smile. “Sounds good. Then I’ll cook for you.”

“Deal.” Katara chewed her bottom lip as she washed the first plate. “So...I need to tell you something.”

Zuko frowned. “What is it?”

“I...might have lied to your immigration lawyer.”

“Well, I’m pretty sure we both did.”

Katara gave him an exasperated look. “No, I mean I lied  _ more _ . About visiting my parents.”

Zuko frowned curiously. “Are we not going to see them?”

“No, we are.” Katara let out a sigh as she handed him the plate to dry. “My parents don’t live on Kyoshi Island. They live in the South Pole. So we’re technically leaving the country.”

“Oh.” Zuko set the dried plate on the counter as his brow furrowed. “And are we flying directly there?”

“Well, there’s no airport near the village I grew up in. We’ll be taking a charter plane from Gaoling to Kyoshi and taking a ferry over to the Pole.” 

“Katara, I can get deported for leaving the country. In fact, that’s  _ why  _ I’m facing deportation.” 

“I know.” She sighed again. “I’m sorry I didn’t say anything sooner, but I really  _ have _ been planning this trip for a few months and I thought it would be weird to Mrs. Wu if I went to visit my parents without you.”

“Fair enough.” Zuko looked down at her. “So what’s the plan, then?”

“Well, they’re supposed to log it when people go over to the South Pole. Check passports, that kind of thing. But I know a guy who can get us there under the radar. No one will know we left Kyoshi.”

Zuko had to admit that he was impressed. “Wow. Okay. That might actually work.” He frowned. “But what about when my lawyer asks your family?”

“I’ll tell my parents. They’ll cover for us.” 

“Not...the whole truth, right?”

“Hell no. Just that you aren’t supposed to leave the country until you get your visa.”

“And they’ll go along with that?” Zuko asked skeptically.

Katara shrugged. “Sure. My parents are really understanding people. They’ll know I wouldn’t want to miss Gran-Gran’s birthday.” 

Zuko exhaled. “Alright. As long as you’re sure it will work.”

“It will.”

“Okay. I trust you.”

Katara looked up at him again. “And...one more thing.”

“What’s up?”

Katara nibbled on her lip again. “I...haven’t exactly told anyone about this. Us being engaged, I mean.”

Zuko was a little stunned. “Oh. Um. Why?”

“Because...well, it just didn’t feel right doing it over a phone call. My parents and grandma have seriously been waiting for me to get married for like, years.” Katara rolled her eyes. “I think by now they probably think I’m either unbearable as a partner or a lesbian. Not that they have any issues with gay people. But, I don’t know. It’s kind of a thing in the Water Tribes. We marry young. Sort of a holdover from the days where our life expectancy was like, fifty.”

“I understand. I didn’t exactly want to tell my mom over Skype, but the Fire Nation is a little bit further away than the South Pole.” Zuko dried off the second plate when she handed it to him. “My mom was twenty when she married my dad, so I get it.”

“Yeah. My parents had Sokka really young. So they married fresh out of high school. And Sokka and Suki got married right after college.” Katara closed her eyes for a moment. “I wanted a career. I want a family too, eventually. But I’m just not at that place in my life, you know?”

Zuko actually didn’t know. The truth was that he was terrified of marriage and children because his own family was such a disaster. The only reason it was so easy to marry Katara was because it wasn’t  _ real.  _

“Well, maybe you’ll be ready in five years when we get divorced,” Zuko quipped.

Katara chuckled. “Yeah, maybe.” Then she sobered. “My family is going to be all over us, so they need to think we’re in love. So let’s…” She trailed off.

“That’s no problem,” Zuko said aridly. “I can pretend to be the doting fiance. That’s easy.” He eyed her. “When are you going to tell them that we’re engaged?”

“As soon as we land, preferably. Get through the shock of it and all.” She glanced at the empty sink. “Well, dishes are done.”

“What do you want to do now?” Zuko asked her. “Did you want to go to bed, or maybe watch a movie or something?” 

Katara studied him briefly for a moment. The more time she spent with him, the more she saw the real Zuko. And she was beginning to realize that the real Zuko was kind of an okay guy. 

“Yeah.” Katara smiled at him. “That sounds good. It’s still pretty early.” 

“I’ve got just about every channel there is. I don’t watch any of it, but Azula and Ty Lee like to come over and watch  _ The Bachelor _ or whatever stupid shit it is girls like to watch.” 

Katara pursed her lips. “What about horror movies?”

“I got horror movies for days.” He dragged the word out to comic length, then his white teeth flashed in a grin, and Katara rolled her eyes at him, unable to fight the smile that creased her own face. 

“Okay,” Katara said. 

* * *

Zuko didn’t know Katara fell asleep until her head flopped onto his shoulder and she let out a little sound that was some cross between a moan and a sigh. 

He looked down at her, his brow creasing for a moment until he realized that her eyes were closed and her expression was relaxed. Zuko blinked as a momentary panic washed over him.  _ What do I do now? Do I wake her up? Let her sleep?  _ He looked back at the TV. She’d picked out some ghost flick, and the movie was almost over. He glanced down at her again.  _ Guess I can let her sleep until it’s over.  _

The next fifteen minutes were some of the strangest in Zuko’s life. If anyone had told him two weeks ago that tonight he would be watching a movie with his former assistant-turned-fiancée and that she would fall asleep on his shoulder, Zuko wouldn’t have believed them. But here they were.

He found he couldn’t concentrate on the movie with the weight of her head on his shoulder. He could feel the gentle push-and-pull of her breathing and with as close as she was, he could smell her shampoo. Zuko couldn’t even remember the last time he was in such close proximity to a woman, and it was doing funny things to him. 

Finally, the movie was over. As the end credits began to roll, he slowly maneuvered to turn towards her. Katara grumbled in her sleep and burrowed her head deeper against his shoulder, and Zuko let out a silent sigh before he reached over and shook her gently. 

“Katara,” he said softly. “Hey, wake up. You fell asleep.”

She bolted upright, blue eyes peeking out between the thick frame of her eyelashes. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes before she looked over at him.

“I fell asleep?” Katara covered a yawn with her hand. “Did I miss anything?”

“Well, the last twenty minutes of the movie.”

Katara pouted. “Shit, I missed the part where the ghost went all Patrick Bateman on the stupid people living in its house.” She stretched then, and her t-shirt rode up to expose the smooth spanse of her stomach. Zuko forced himself to look away. “Man, I’m exhausted. I think I’m gonna head to bed.”

“Yeah, me too. Early flight.”

Katara grumbled as she peeled herself off of the couch. “Don’t remind me.”

Zuko shut off the tv before he stood up. Together they took care of the popcorn bowl they had shared and their beer bottles. Then they went down the hallway to bed.

Katara stopped outside of the guest room as Zuko padded softly to his door at the end of the short hallway. “Good night, Zuko.”

Zuko looked back at her and offered her a half-smile “Good night, Katara.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko and Katara are finally off to the South Pole, and things are off to a great start when Katara oversleeps. Then they have to break the news to her family, and Zuko realizes that the Kuruks might actually be crazy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is, the chapter you've all been waiting for...*drum roll* Zuko and Katara finally make it to the South Pole! We're falling back in line with the plot of the movie, so if you've seen it, you probably have a pretty good idea of what's coming. And some dialogue has been lifted directly from the movie. I hope it was worth the wait!

Zuko glanced up at the clock on the wall and frowned. It was 3:45, and they had to leave to catch their flight in the next forty five minutes. He had yet to hear movement coming from the guest bedroom, and he was getting worried that Katara had overslept.

But would it be weird if he woke her up? Maybe. Zuko  _ felt  _ weird just thinking about it. But they couldn’t miss their flight.

With a sigh, Zuko set down his coffee cup and slid off the stool at the table. He went over to Katara’s door and knocked gently.

“Katara? Are you up?” 

Silence. He knocked again, a little louder. 

“Hey, Katara, it’s time to get up.” 

Still no response. He spoke more loudly through the door. 

“Hey, you’ve got to get up or we’re going to miss our flight.” 

Still nothing. 

“Shit,” he muttered under his breath. He squared his shoulders as he looked at the door. “Okay, I’m coming in. You better be decent.”

Zuko opened the door and poked his head in. The lights were off but she had left the curtains open on the windows, and the lights of the city cast a soft blue glow throughout the room. Katara was sprawled across the bed, the duvet a tangled mess around her legs and her hair a wild mane around her head as she snored lightly. 

“Katara,” Zuko tried again. “Come on, you’ve got to get up.” She still didn’t budge. Zuko shook his head. “Agni, you sleep like the dead.” 

He came into the room, feeling oddly like an intruder in his own home, and went to shake her awake.

Katara bolted upright with a shout as her fist lashed out, catching him in the throat. Zuko’s windpipe suddenly felt constricted and he couldn’t suck in a breath as he staggered back from the bed, clutching his neck.

Katara stared at him in horror. “Oh shit, Zuko, I’m so sorry! Are you okay?”

He winced as he massaged his throat. At least he could breathe again. “Fuck, Katara. Good morning to you too.”

She threw aside the covers and got out of bed as she grimaced. “Sorry. I have a startle reflex. Comes from living with a prankster for a brother. What the hell were you doing, anyway?”

Zuko scowled at her. “I was waking you up. We’ve got to go soon.”

“Shit, I overslept?” She glanced at the clock on the bedside table and raked her hand through her hair. “Shit. I must’ve turned off my alarm and fallen back asleep.” 

“Well, you better get ready. We have to leave in about a half an hour.”

Zuko left the room, his throat still aching from the punch.  _ I won’t make that mistake again, _ he told himself as he grabbed his coffee cup. 

Katara came out of the guest room and hurried down the hall to the bathroom. Her cheeks flamed with her embarrassment and once she was safely cloistered in the bathroom, she leaned against the door and let out a quiet groan. 

Today was off to a great start. She had overslept,  _ and  _ she had punched her fake-fiancé in the throat. What else could possibly go wrong?

* * *

  
  


Katara watched the shore of the Southern Water Tribe grow larger as the ferry carted them closer to their destination. Zuko had gotten roped into discussing Fire Nation cuisine with Doc, Katara’s contact who had gotten them off of Kyoshi Island below the radar, so she had a few moments to herself. 

Her family—her parents, her brother, and his wife—were all waiting for her at the harbor. What were they going to think when Katara stepped off of the ferry with company? And when they found out she and Zuko were engaged, they would surely lose their minds. It would be the talk of the weekend.

Guilt gnawed at Katara. She hated that she was lying to her family, especially to Gran-Gran. This was Gran’s 90th birthday, for spirits’ sake! Who knew how many more Gran-Gran had left? Would she live long enough to see Zuko and Katara’s divorce? Or would she pass away while waiting for grandchildren that were never going to come? 

_ Don’t think about it,  _ Katara told herself.  _ You’re committed now. There’s no backing out.  _

Suddenly Zuko was leaning on the rails beside her. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Why wouldn’t it be?” She glanced over at him. “I see you finally managed to get away from Doc.”

Zuko rolled his eyes. “Yeah. The man wanted to know every flavor of fire flakes. Every single one. There’s like, twenty of them. Apparently, not too many Fire Nationers come this way.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever eaten fire flakes.”

Zuko’s eyes widened. “Seriously? You can buy them at pretty much any store. Hell, I think the vending machine at work has them.”

Katara shrugged. “I’m not a big fan of spicy foods.”

“You have to try them.”

“I’ll try them if you try sea prunes,” Katara told him. 

“Sea prunes? Are those like ocean kumquats?”

“Sort of.” Katara smirked. “I’m sure my grandmother will make them, so you’ll have an opportunity to try authentic sea prunes. The ones in the EK just aren't the same.”

“I’ll take your word for it.”

They slipped into silence as the ferry puttered closer to the South Pole. The snow-capped mountains rose high above the frozen tundra, glittering blue-white in the sunlight. 

The harbor was coming into view now and she could see the boats tied to the slips along the docks. Her small village sat nestled beyond that, looking arthritic and plain in contrast to the sprawling city they had just left behind.

Her family was waiting there for her. She hadn’t been home since right after her college graduation. Sokka and Suki usually came up for a week or so in the summer, and she tried to meet up with her family in Omashu every other year or so. And of course she video called her parents and Gran-Gran once a week and spoke with Sokka and Suki nearly every day, but truthfully, she didn’t see them enough. She felt like a stranger coming here. This was a place she had known her whole life, but now she felt like she was seeing it through someone else’s eyes. 

Katara peeked over at Zuko. His expression was set in his usually scowl as he watched the harbor come closer. 

“There’s still time to back out,” Katara told him. “You don’t have to go through with this.”

“If I want to stay in the country, I do.” Zuko let out a sigh before he glanced down at her. “And you met my family. I should meet yours.” 

“Yeah, and no offense, but Azula is a little scary,” Katara said. “My brother might try to intimidate you, but he’s a big baby.”

“Well, that’s good at least. What about your dad?”

Katara considered that. “I mean, he was in the SWTN.”

“What’s that?”

“Southern Water Tribe Navy. So he’s kind of intimidating.” Katara shrugged. “But as long as you prove to him that you’re good for me, the two of you should get along fine. I think it’s actually the women in my family you should be afraid of.”

Zuko quirked his brow. “Yeah?”

Katara nodded. “Yeah. Suki runs her own gym and she’s not afraid to kick your ass. My gran-gran is a tough old lady and she’ll mess you up if you give her a reason to. And my mom? She’s a total mama bear. Mess with her kids, and she’ll probably kill you.”

Zuko huffed out a breath. “Okay, I’m a little nervous now.”

“Don’t be.” Katara thought that over. “Okay, I take that back. Be nervous. Just make sure you impress them, and you should be fine.”

“How do I impress them?”

“All a Water Tribe family wants for their daughter is to find a partner they know will be able to take care of them.” Katara eyed Zuko in his tailored jeans and wool coat. “You’ve got the financial aspect down. But they’ll want to know you can take care of me, mentally, emotionally, and physically. So do us both a favor and try to keep your temper in check, will you?”

“What about you?”

Katara snorted. “Please, they know  _ all  _ about my temper.” 

  
  


Zuko spotted Katara’s family immediately. They were impossible to miss, and Zuko knew exactly where Katara got her looks from as soon as he laid eyes on herparents. She had her dad’s hair and eyes, but her face bore a striking resemblance to her mother. And the young man standing with them could only be Katara’s brother—he looked just like her.

The second thing he noticed about her family was that they were  _ tall _ . Zuko wasn’t short by any means himself, but he could already tell that her father and brother were even taller than he was. He tried not to feel intimidated by that fact. 

The brother—Sokka—waved at them enthusiastically, as if they could possibly be missed. “Katara!”

Katara looked over at Zuko. “Ready or not, here we go.”

Zuko grabbed their suitcases and the two of them disembarked the ferry. They made it onto the dock and then Katara’s family was meeting them. Her father embraced her first in a bone-crushing hug that Katara returned just as enthusiastically. 

“Hakoda, you’re suffocating her.” Kya smiled at her daughter when Hakoda set Katara back on her feet. “Come here.”

Katara hugged her mother next, and then she was swept off her feet by Sokka, who swung her around before playfully threatening to dump her off the dock, the ends of her hair trailing into the choppy water. 

“ _ Sokka!”  _ Katara shrieked. “Put me  _ down!  _ We are getting too old for this shit!”

“Aw, you’re no fun.” Sokka set her back on her feet. “Good to see you, sis.”

“You too. Where’s Suki?” Katara asked.

“Oh, she got caught up in work stuff, but she’ll be by for dinner later.” Sokka glanced over at Zuko. “Who’s this?”

Katara turned to Zuko, who was standing back rather awkwardly. She beckoned him over and when he was standing beside her, Katara grabbed his hand with her left, making sure to show off the ring.

“This is Zuko,” she said. “My...fiancé.”

For a moment, no one said anything. Hakoda, Sokka, and Kya stared at Zuko and Katara, and the two of them stared back. Zuko could feel his heart pounding in his throat and if someone didn’t say something soon, he thought he might explode.  _ Is this how Katara felt when she met my mom and Azula? _ Zuko wondered.

Then Kya broke the silence. She stepped forward with a kind smile. “It’s good to meet you, Zuko. I’m Kya, Katara’s mother.” 

To his surprise, she embraced him. For a moment Zuko stiffened, unused to physical affection from anyone but his mom, uncle, or Kiyi, but then he relaxed and offered her a quick hug back. Kya stepped back and appraised him, her warm smile never faltering as she took him in. 

“It’s nice to meet you too,” Zuko said. “Katara has told me so much about you.”

Hakoda offered his hand and Zuko shook it. “I’m afraid we can’t say the same about you.”

“We couldn’t tell anyone because of work,” Katara explained quickly. “I wanted to tell you sooner, but this wasn’t exactly something I wanted to tell you over the phone.”

Sokka narrowed his eyes as he eyed Zuko. “Wait. Zuko? Like your boss?”

Kya and Hakoda looked at them expectantly, and Katara nodded. But before she could offer an explanation, Zuko spoke up.

“She was my assistant,” he said. 

“Oh,” Kya said.

Sokka nodded slowly. “Hmph.”

Katara interlocked their hands again. “I know it’s a bit of a surprise…”

“Gran-Gran will be  _ so  _ happy!” Kya beamed a smile at the two of them.

“Speaking of which, we should probably get back home,” Hakoda said. His tone and expression were unreadable, and Zuko felt his stomach twist into nervous knots. 

“You two can ride with me,” Sokka offered. He grabbed Katara’s suitcase. “Let’s go.”

Zuko lifted his own suitcase and followed Katara and her family into the parking lot. Sokka’s car was an aging silver Mustang with rust spots along the bottom of the doors and a cracked windshield. 

“You need a new car, Sokka,” Katara told him as he opened the trunk. 

“There is nothing wrong with my car.”

“ _ Everything  _ is wrong with your car,” Katara quipped. “Starting with the fact that it’s a Mustang.”

“Whatever.”

With the luggage in the trunk, Katara turned to Zuko. “So you can either sit up front or squeeze into the backseat. Your choice.”

“Backseat,” Zuko said quickly.

They got in the car. Zuko folded himself into the backseat, almost regretting his decision as his knees pressed into the back of Katara’s seat. But he did  _ not  _ want to be stuck up front with Sokka. There was something in the look he’d given Zuko when he realized who Zuko was. Had Katara talked about him to Sokka before? And if so, what had she said?

Katara pulled her seat forward until Zuko felt like he could breathe. She craned her neck to look at him. 

“Is that enough room for you?” she asked.

“This is fine,” he replied. Then he cracked a grin. “It helps that you’re only like, two feet tall.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “I’m five foot four, thank you very much. That’s perfectly average. It’s not  _ my  _ fault  _ you _ are a giant freak.”

“Six-one is perfectly average, too,” Zuko shot back coolly.

“Well, I’m six-four. So what does that make me?” Sokka quipped, smirking at his sister.

“You’re definitely a giant freak,” Katara chuckled. “In fact, I’m not sure how you fit in this clown car at all.”

“Hey, keep talking shit and you’ll be walking to Gran-Gran’s.”

* * *

  
  


Sokka pulled up in front of an aging house that was a lot bigger than Zuko had expected. It was set outside of the village they had driven through and was surrounded by a forest of pine and fir trees. Kya and Hakoda had beaten them there in an SUV, and an older Buick was parked beside it. 

Sokka caught Zuko’s eye in the rear view mirror. “Welcome to our humble abode, man.” Then he got out of the car.

Katara opened her door and stepped out before she bent over to slide the seat forward, affording Zuko a nice look at her chest that he couldn’t help but take advantage of for a moment. Then he was unfolding himself out of the backseat. 

It was ridiculous, really, and Katara barely concealed her amused laugh behind her hand.

“Ha-ha,” he griped as he went past her to help Sokka get their luggage out of the trunk.

Then they were walking up the porch steps and into the house, where they were immediately set upon by an elderly woman who was even shorter than Katara, with an older man in tow. 

She had warm brown skin and her eyes matched Katara’s, and Zuko was barely through the door before she was grabbing his hand in her warm, leathery hand and beaming a smile up at him.

“I’m Kanna, Katara’s grandmother.” She patted the back of his hand. “It is so good to meet you. I’ve been waiting for Katara to bring home a man. Tell me, when can I expect grandchildren?”

The old man with her rolled his eyes. “Tui and La, Kanna.”

Zuko’s eyes went wide as Katara buried her face in her hands with a groan. When she looked up again, her cheeks were bright red and she was glaring at her grandmother.

“We  _ just _ got engaged, Gran-Gran! Can’t we at least get  _ through _ the door before you try to scare him off?” Katara grabbed the suitcase from Sokka with a huff before she stomped up the stairs. She stopped halfway up and turned back to glare daggers at her family. “And by the way, I don’t hear you nagging Sokka and Suki for grandkids!” Then she turned and continued to stomp up the stairs, leaving Zuko standing awkwardly with her family.

“She has such a temper, doesn’t she?” Kanna asked Zuko, and he snorted.

“Not according to her,” Zuko said, and Kanna laughed.

“And this is my husband, Pakku,” Kanna said, gesturing to the man beside her.

“Pleasure to meet you,” he said gruffly, and Zuko dipped his head in greeting.

“I can uh...show you to Katara’s room,” Sokka said. 

“Oh,” Zuko squeaked. “We’ll be...sharing a room. Of course.”

Kanna patted his arm. “Don’t worry, Zuko. You’re two grown adults. We’re not under any illusions that you two don’t sleep in the same bed.”

Zuko was sure he was as red as fire flakes. “Oh. Great. That’s great ‘cause we uh...we love to snuggle. We’re big snugglers.”

Suddenly, a small, fluffy white thing was streaking across the foyer towards him, barking obnoxiously.

“Oh, Agni, what  _ is  _ that?” Zuko stepped back as the small dog jumped at his legs.

Kanna bent over and scooped him into her arms. “Oh, this is Momo.” She stroked the dog’s head. “Calm down, Momo.” She looked at Zuko. “We just rescued him from the pound. He’s still in training. Sorry about that.”

“Just be sure you don’t let him outside,” Sokka said. “Or the eagles will snatch him.”

Zuko’s eyes widened for a moment before Kanna pushed Sokka. “No, don’t you listen to him. He’s just pulling your leg.” Kanna smiled at him. “Come along now. We’ll take you upstairs. And you can tell Katara that I absolutely do nag Suki and Sokka about grandchildren.”

“All the time,” Sokka confirmed.

The three of them went upstairs, leaving Pakku behind. Zuko could already see exactly what Katara had meant about her family. Maybe his family wasn’t so bad after all. He only hoped that the weekend went by quickly.

Kanna stopped beside a closet and opened the door. “By the way, there are extra towels and linens and things in here if you need them.” She pulled out a wool blanket with tribal patterns. “If you get chilly tonight, use this. It has special powers.”

Zuko took the blanket from her and looked at it skeptically. “Oh, special powers?”

Kanna smiled mischievously. “I call it the Baby Maker.”

Zuko recoiled slightly from the blanket, and he would have dropped it entirely if that wouldn’t have been rude. “Okay. Well. Then I guess we...we’ll be super careful with that one.”

Kanna just chuckled as she led him to another door. She knocked before she opened the door. Katara was fussing over her suitcase, which she had set on top of her dresser, but she stopped when they came in.

She saw the blanket in Zuko’s arm and her eyes widened. “Oh, spirits. Is that—”

Zuko hoped the look he gave her conveyed the horror he felt. “Yep.” He walked towards the bed. “I’m just gonna…”

“Don’t throw it on the bed,” Katara muttered, but it was too late.

“Here you are, all set up,” Kanna chirped. “I better go help Kya with the dinner. Tui knows the woman could burn cereal.” With that, Kanna left, leaving them with just Sokka.

He cleared his throat. “Uh...make yourself at home? Dinner...soon?” 

Sokka turned and ducked through the door, leaving Zuko and Katara alone. He glanced over at her. She was chewing on her thumbnail. Her brow was furrowed and her shoulders were set tensely.

“Everything okay?” Zuko asked as he set his suitcase down. 

Katara narrowed her eyes at him. “I can _ not _ believe she would just—just say that to you! Spirits, that was  _ so  _ embarrassing.”

“Katara. It’s okay.” Zuko stepped deeper into the room. “Families are fucking crazy. You met my sister. And if you think Iroh isn’t already thinking about grandchildren—”

“But at least he hasn’t said anything!  _ And she gave you the Baby Maker! _ ” Katara let out a deep breath as she shut her eyes. When she opened them, she smiled falsely at him. “You know what? It doesn’t matter. Because none of this is real, and we’re never going to have children. She can just wait for Sokka and Suki to pop one out.”

“That’s the spirit.” 

Zuko cast a look around the room for the first time. It was evident that this was Katara’s childhood bedroom. There was a full sized bed tucked into one corner, and a white desk Zuko imagined she probably did her homework on was beside the door. The walls were bare and the top of the dresser was empty as well. The best feature of the room was the window seat.

Katara caught him looking and gestured to the space. “This is my childhood bedroom-turned-guest-room. I’m just glad my mom had the sense to take down my posters. Spirits, I listened to such embarrassing music in high school.”

“Oh yeah? Like what?”

Katara shook her head. “We’re not going there. That’s a dark time in my life.”

Zuko snorted. “Come on. What if INS asks me about it? I need to know…for the interview.”

“Whatever.” An embarrassed blush rose in her cheeks. “I listened to like, Justin Bieber and One Direction. Before they were cool.”

“Were they ever cool?” Zuko covered his laugh with his hand. “Yeah, that’s a little embarrassing.”

Katara planted her hands on her hips indignantly. “Oh yeah? What about  _ you? _ ”

“Me? I didn’t listen to any embarrassing music.”

“Don’t make me text Azula.”

Zuko frowned. “You have Azula’s number?”

“Yep. She gave it to me at dinner last week.” Katara smirked.

Zuko rolled his eyes. “Fine. I was pretty big into punk rock. You know, Green Day, blink-182. That kind of thing.”

“Hey, Sokka listened to the same stuff.” Katara grabbed her suitcase and set it on top of the dresser. “Maybe the two of you will get along.” 

Zuko rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, about that. What was up with him when he found out I was your boss?”

Katara’s shoulders stiffened. “Oh...you noticed that?”

“Kinda hard to miss, Katara.”

Katara grimaced before she turned back to face him. “Well...I  _ might  _ have told him and Suki you were a nightmare to work for. Several times.”

Zuko’s eyes widened. “ _ What? _ ”

“Well, in my defense, you kind of were.” She fingered the hem of her sweater nervously. “At least at first. But it got better.”

Zuko stared at her. “Are you kidding me? You know, that might’ve been nice to know before coming down here.”

“Sorry! I sort of forgot.” Katara looked at him sheepishly. “I may have referred to you as Asshole for the first six months I worked for you.” 

Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose. “That’s fantastic.”

“Well, you kind of  _ are  _ an asshole. Of course I was gonna tell my brother that. And his wife. Suki is like, my best friend.” Katara scuffed the toe of her shoe against the ground. “Also, in the spirit of total honesty, she might...kind of sort of...want to punch you in the face.”

Zuko gaped at her. “Why? What the hell for?”

“Because remember last winter when I wanted to take a week off and you wouldn’t let me? It was my birthday week and I was going to fly down here and when I told her you wouldn’t let me, she swore that she would punch you in the face.”

“Great. Just great.” Zuko scrubbed his hand down his face. “All of this would’ve been great to know before I came here.”

“Sorry.” Katara gave him an apologetic look. “But once they get to know you, I’m sure they’ll like you.”

“That’s real comforting.” Zuko closed his eyes and let out a breath. “It’s just one weekend. I can make it through one weekend.” 

“We’ve got this.”

Downstairs, they heard the front door open. Then a voice called out, “Where’s my boo? You better get out here, babe!”

Katara looked at Zuko. “That’s Suki.”

“Great.”

Katara brushed past him as she went to the door. “Come on. Let’s get this over with.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Sokka tests Zuko's worthiness during a game of pool.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously, this chapter diverges from the movie, but I hope you like it all the same! I would have had this chapter up last night, but ao3 was being an asshole, but here you go!

“Thank you so much for...allowing me to be a part of this weekend,” Zuko said over dinner during a lull in the conversation. The Caldera Academy for Boys—and his mother—had long drilled manners into his head, to the point it was nearly a knee-jerk reaction. And he  _ was  _ trying to get Katara’s family to like him, after all.

“Oh, you’re welcome.” Kanna smiled warmly at him. “We’re thrilled to have you, Zuko.” 

“I’ve got to admit, it was quite the surprise,” Hakoda remarked.

“Yeah,” Sokka agreed icily. “ _ Quite  _ the surprise.”

Katara glared daggers at her brother over the rim of her cup. “As I said, we didn’t tell anyone because of our jobs. It would have been a huge conflict of interest.”

Sokka stabbed a piece of his turtle seal onto his fork and popped it into his mouth. “What conflict of interest? People date their bosses all the time.”

Katara opened her mouth to say something, but then Zuko nudged her gently. 

He cleared his throat before he spoke. “Why don’t you tell them about your promotion…love?”

Kya perked up at that. “What promotion, sweetie?”

Katara shot Zuko a look before she smiled at her family. “I’ve been promoted to market analyst. Zuko’s uncle owns the company, and we knew he was looking at me for the promotion, so we didn’t want to say anything before I got it.” She gave Sokka a pointed look. “To avoid conflict of interest.” 

“Well, congratulations!” Kanna clapped her hands in excitement. “I’m so proud of you, snow pea.” 

“That’s great, Katara,” Hakoda agreed. 

“But that still doesn’t explain why you couldn’t tell  _ us, _ ” Suki said. 

“I didn't think it would be fair to Zuko’s family if we told you long before we told them,” Katara answered coolly. 

_ She does well under pressure,  _ Zuko noted, not for the first time.  _ I couldn’t have picked a better fake wife.  _

“It doesn’t matter,” Kya said peaceably. “The point is we know, and we have even more reason to celebrate.” She grinned broadly. “Our daughter is getting married!”

“You’re right, Mom,” Sokka said. “We  _ should  _ celebrate.” He looked at Zuko, Katara, and Suki. “We’re going to The Sea Raven.”

“Oh, Sokka, Zuko and I have had a long day—” Katara began to protest.

“Don’t you start that shit,” Suki interjected. She pointed a finger at Katara. “We’re going out, and Sokka and I won’t take no for an answer.”

Zuko looked at Katara. “What’s The Sea Raven?”

“It’s a bar,” Katara answered with a groan. “I guess we all get to be hungover at Gran-Gran’s birthday dinner tomorrow.”

Kanna’s eyes twinkled. “Don’t have too much fun.”

Katara stood up with a sigh. “I’ll go get these dishes washed.”

Zuko made to stand up. “I’ll come help.” 

Sokka beat him to it. “Don’t worry about it, man. Guests don’t have to do dishes.” He gave Zuko a pointed look. “Just family.”

Zuko dropped his eyes to his plate as his jaw clenched.  _ Keep it together, man. Remember what Katara said. Keep your cool.  _

Katara stalked into the kitchen with Sokka right behind her. Once the siblings were out of the room, Suki leaned closer to him. 

“Don’t mind my husband,” she told him. “He’s a meathead.”

“And he’s protective over his little sister,” Kanna added.

Hakoda looked at him levelly. “So am I.”

Zuko held up his hands in peace. “I get it.” He cleared his throat.  _ Make it believable.  _ He met Hakoda’s gaze. “I love your daughter. I love her enough to make her my wife. I know this was entirely unexpected, and I apologize for that, but Katara wanted to wait and I wanted to respect her wishes.” Zuko looked at Kanna. “Katara speaks highly of you, and it’s an honor to be here for your birthday. You must’ve seen a lot in your life. I’d love to hear it sometime.”

Kanna grinned as pink rose in her cheeks. She reached over and patted his hand. “Well, you’re a charmer, aren’t you?”

Kya smirked. “I can see why Katara likes him.”

* * *

  
  


Katara half-listened to Zuko and her family in the dining room as she transferred leftovers into Tupperware, ignoring the heat of Sokka’s eyes on her back.  _ He’s got my mom and Gran wrapped around his finger already,  _ Katara thought to herself.  _ Now to see what’s up Sokka’s ass.  _

“That’s a hell of a surprise, Katara,” Sokka said. 

Katara glanced back at him from over her shoulder as she carried dirty dishes to the sink . “What?”

“You know what.” He came and stood beside her at the sink. “Don’t play stupid.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Sokka leaned in closer to her. “Katara. Come on.  _ Asshole? _ ”

She turned her attention to pumping soap onto the sponge. “I was wrong about him.”

“You were calling him an asshole  _ two months  _ ago!” Sokka reached over and took the sponge out of her hand. “You’ve been gone all this time, and then you show up with this man you hate, and suddenly he’s your boyfriend.”

“Fiancé.” Katara gave Sokka an exasperated look. “Come on, we just got here. Can’t you give Zuko a chance?”

Sokka studied her. “What’s going on, sis? Did you get caught up in something and now you’re in trouble?”

Katara turned towards him, her mouth open. “Are you kidding me?”

Sokka’s expression was serious. “No, I’m not. I’m just looking out for you. You’re my sister. So excuse me for being worried when you show up here with  _ that  _ guy.”

“That guy is my fiancé. You need to accept it, Sokka.”

“I don’t have to accept shit.”

Katara gave him an exasperated look. “Sokka.”

Before Sokka could say anything else, Suki came into the kitchen. She turned off the tap and looked at Katara, and for a moment Katara thought she was in for another interrogation.

But then Suki grinned and said, “Mom said not to worry about the dishes. Let’s go get ready!”

Katara let out a sigh. “You know I brought literally nothing to go out in, right?”

“That’s why you’re borrowing something of mine!”

* * *

  
  


Zuko glanced up at the clock on the wall above the fireplace again. The seconds seemed to be ticking by slower than they had any right to, or maybe Katara and Suki were just taking a ridiculously long time getting ready to go. 

Zuko had changed into a fresh shirt in the room he was sharing with Katara, and he would have been happy to stay up there until Katara came and got him, but he thought that might be weird. So he had gone back down to the living room, which appeared to be an even bigger mistake. 

Kya and Kanna were cleaning the kitchen and Hakoda had gone to bed (“the fish are early risers,” he’d said as he bid Zuko and Sokka goodnight, and reminded Zuko that Hakoda owned a small fishing company.) so now it was just Zuko and Katara’s brother, who was casually glaring at him from where he sat in a recliner, and Zuko pointedly trying to ignore him.

“So, how long have you and Katara been together?” The question should’ve been casual, but Zuko could hear Sokka’s true intentions behind his words.

Zuko maintained eye contact as he gave the answer he and Katara had agreed on. “Six months.”

Sokka’s stoic expression didn’t waver. “The engagement happened pretty fast, then.”

“Yeah, a little,” Zuko said nonchalantly. The next lie flowed easily from his mouth. “But Katara...she’s amazing. I couldn't help but fall for her, you know?”

“And she feels the same way about you?”

Zuko didn’t like this line of questioning at all. What all had Katara told her brother about him over the past year that she had worked for him? Clearly, the same information hadn’t been passed along to the rest of her family, as they all seemed to like him well enough. At least Suki hadn’t made good on her promise to punch him in the face.

“Yeah, she does.” Zuko held Sokka’s gaze. “Or else she wouldn’t have said yes, I’m sure.”

Sokka nodded slowly as if he were digesting that fact. “Interesting.”

Zuko was saved from any further questioning by the sound of the girls coming down the stairs. When they came into the doorway of the living room, Zuko couldn’t help but stare at Katara.

He was used to seeing her in slacks and blouses and cardigans paired with flats (Zuko couldn’t recall ever seeing her in a pair of heels) with minimal makeup, usually just mascara. She wore chapstick religiously and he had never seen her wear lipstick. 

But the Katara that came down the stairs was wearing a little black dress and a cropped jacket with dark pantyhose and black high heels that just screamed  _ fuck me _ . Her long hair fell to her waist but her bangs were pinned back from her eyes, revealing her sharp eyeliner and red-painted lips. 

Suki was dressed similarly, but she didn’t hold a candle to Katara. 

And Katara seemed to know that he was stunned by her appearance as she cocked one hip and smiled at him in a sultry way that was entirely unfamiliar and enticing at the same time.

“How do I look?” Katara asked him as she peered up at him from beneath her mascara-thick eyelashes.

“Beautiful,” Zuko said honestly, and without thinking about it. And if Zuko wasn’t mistaken, a genuine blush rose in her cheeks.

“Thank you,” she murmured. 

Sokka stood up and went to his wife, giving her a kiss on the cheek. “Looking as radiant as ever.” 

“Thanks, babe.” She appraised him for a moment. “You’re looking pretty good yourself, handsome.”

“Don’t make me gag,” Katara teased as she went to Zuko and hooked her arm through his. She looked up at him. “Are you ready to go?”

Zuko eyed her. “You clean up nice, Kuruk.”

She nudged her elbow into his ribs. “You too, Sozin.”

“Mom, Gran-Gran, we’re leaving!” Sokka called out in the direction of the kitchen. 

“See you later!” Kya called back, and then they were out the door.

Zuko turned his face up to the sky as they walked over to Sokka’s Mustang. He had watched the sun set hours ago, although it was only just past seven o’clock now. It was strange how early the sun went down here. 

“You two are in the back,” Sokka said to Katara and Zuko. 

“You should sit behind me, Zuko,” Suki told him. “That way you’ll have some leg room, at least.”

“Sounds good,” he replied.

Zuko went to the passenger door and opened it for Katara and Suki. Then he slid the seat forward and gestured to the backseat as he straightened. 

Zuko smirked at Katara. “After you.” 

Katara grimaced. “Let’s see if I can do this without flashing anyone.” 

She maneuvered carefully into the car and managed to do so without embarrassing herself. She settled down on the cramped seat as Zuko folded himself in beside her. Katara covered her laugh with her hand.

“I’m sorry,” she tittered. “You just look so...so  _ ridiculous  _ back here.”

Zuko scowled at her. “Next time we’re renting a car.”

Sokka and Suki climbed in next. 

“Oh, I can tell Katara sat here,” Suki remarked as she sat down. “Do I have room to move back a bit, Zuko?”

Zuko inspected the distance between his knees and the back of the seat. “Yeah, you’ve got an inch or two.” 

The seat slid back and slammed into Zuko’s knees, and he winced. Suki quickly pulled the seat forward as Sokka snorted out a laugh, clearly amused.

“Shit, sorry,” she said. “I forget this thing kind of does what it wants.” 

“It’s okay,” Zuko gritted out. “I’m fine.”

“Let’s just go,” Katara said. “This backseat is claustrophobic.”

Sokka backed the car out onto the road and started for the village. While he drove, he reached over and took Suki’s hand. Katara glanced over at Zuko. He was looking out the small window, his brow creased. She reached out and took the hand that was resting in his lap. Zuko startled for a moment, his eyes dropping to their interlocked hands before he met her gaze. Katara offered him a small shrug, and he shrugged back. They held hands all the way to The Sea Raven. 

The bar was a large, aging building made of dark wood and frosted windows. Neon signs lit up the sidewalk in front of it, and Zuko could hear the sound of honky tonk music as soon as Suki and Sokka opened their doors. Zuko wasn’t one to typically go out to bars and clubs, but he had been to some in Ba Sing Se with Azula and Ty Lee (and even Mai, once upon a time) and none of them had been like this.

Suki pulled the front seat forward and Zuko stepped out, grateful to be out of the cramped backseat. He turned to offer his hand to Katara and caught a flash of her blue panties as she slid across the seats. Heat plunged directly to his groin and Zuko found he couldn’t meet her gaze for a moment as Katara took his hand and set one high-heeled foot on the pavement.

_ Fuck me shoes, _ Zuko thought before he could help himself, and he groaned internally. What the fuck was wrong with him? This arrangement was purely  _ business _ . His only perk was not getting his ass deported back to the Fire Nation. 

Then Katara was out of the car and pulling her skirt down her thighs as she turned her face up to the sky. 

“Smells like snow,” she commented.

“Forecast called for it,” Sokka remarked.

Zuko scowled up at the sky. He hated snow. As far as he was concerned, that was the only downfall to Ba Sing Se. It didn’t snow as heavily there as he imagined it did in the Poles, but there was usually annoying white slush on the ground for part of December and mostly January. How was it mid-November here and they were already getting snow? 

“Great,” he grumbled.

“Don’t like snow?” Suki asked.

“Where are you from, anyway?” Sokka inquired as they started for the door.

“The Fire Nation,” Zuko replied.

“Hmph.”

The inside of the bar was low and dark. There was a decent crowd and most of the tables and bar stools were full. An old jukebox sat along one wall and a small stage took up one corner. There were two pool tables across the room and the center of the floor was cleared for people to dance. 

Katara laid eyes on the bartender and stopped in her tracks, so suddenly that Zuko bumped into her. 

She ignored him as she grabbed her brother’s arm and dragged him close enough to hiss into his ear, “You didn’t tell me Aang worked here.”

Sokka looked at her with a mischievous smirk. “Oh, I didn’t? Sorry, sis. Must’ve slipped my mind.” 

He pulled away from her and looped his arm around Suki’s waist as they walked over to the bar.

Zuko leaned closer to her. “Is everything okay?”

She was chewing on her bottom lip and Zuko thought that if she didn’t stop, she was going to mess up her lipstick. 

“See the bartender over there? The one with the blue arrow on his beanie? That’s my ex.”

Zuko found the bartender. He looked to be around Katara’s age, lean and lanky, with an easy-going smile he gave easily to Suki and Sokka. 

“Oh.” 

“We dated in high school,” Katara explained in a low voice. “I broke things off when I went to college. Every time I come home, he makes a point to see me. I’m pretty sure he’s still in love with me.”

“Is there gonna be an issue?” Zuko asked her.

Katara looked down at the ring on her hand. “Nope. I’ll make sure of it.” Then she turned her face up to him and smiled. “Let’s go get a drink.”

Katara took his hand and pulled him over to the bar. Aang looked up at her as he prepared Sokka’s and Suki’s drinks, a smile forming on his lips. But then his eyes fell on Zuko, and the smile faltered for a moment.

“Hi, Katara,” Aang said. “I didn’t know you were coming to town. How’ve you been?”

“Good,” Katara replied, her tone falsely cheerful. She smiled up at Zuko. “Aang, this is my fiancé, Zuko. Zuko, this is Aang. We’ve known each other since we were kids.”

Zuko extended his hand over the bar. Aang stared at it for a moment before he wiped his hands on the towel hanging from the pocket of his apron and shook it. Katara watched the exchange, resisting the urge to nibble on her bottom lip. 

“It’s good to meet you, man,” Aang said. 

“You too,” Zuko replied coolly. 

Aang finished up the drinks he was making and slid them over to Sokka and Suki before he looked back at Katara and Zuko. “What can I get for you guys?”

“Vodka cranberry,” Katara answered. She looked at Zuko. “What about you?”

“Whiskey on the rocks,” Zuko said. 

Aang grabbed two glasses. “Coming right up.”

“We’re gonna grab a table,” Suki told them as they walked by them. 

Katara looked at Zuko. “Let’s go.” She turned back to Aang for a moment. “Can you bring our drinks over?” 

“Sure.”

Zuko and Katara joined Sokka and Suki at a table. Zuko pulled Katara’s chair out for her and purposely slid his own closer to her. 

It was strange having to pretend to be the doting fiancé in front of people. Over the last few weeks, they’d only had to put on a show every now and then, like when they went to dinner with Azula and Iroh, or when they video-called his mother. Even at work, they could act casually. It was friendly, for sure: a touch on the hand, or an endearing smile, but nothing too over the top. 

But here, with Katara’s family? It was something they had to do every moment they were around someone else. Zuko was always thinking about it, about how he needed to act to make this look real enough to get her family’s blessing. Was Katara thinking the same thing? She had almost as much riding on this as he did. 

“So, you’re from the Fire Nation,” Sokka said languidly. “Ba Sing Se must be a lot different.”

“It is,” Zuko answered coolly.

“What brought you to Ba Sing Se?” Sokka inquired.

Zuko knew what he was doing. This not-so-subtle interrogation was leading up to something. Sokka didn’t like him, and Zuko got the feeling that what Katara had told him was more than she had told Zuko. Zuko only hoped he could correct it.

“My uncle offered me a job at his marketing firm, once I finished college,” Zuko replied evenly. “I got accepted to Ba Sing Se University, and I’ve been here since.” 

Sokka took a contemplative drink of his whiskey before he opened his mouth to ask another question, but Katara quickly stepped in.

“So, why don’t you two tell me what’s new around here?” Katara beamed a smile at the two of them. “I hear you finally got the gym updated, Suki. I’d love to see if before Zuko and I leave on Sunday.”

“Oh, it looks fantastic,” Suki said. “You’ve definitely got to see it before you go.” 

Aang came by with their drinks. Zuko didn’t miss the way the young man’s eyes lingered on Katara, but Zuko  _ was _ surprised by the way he bristled when he caught Aang looking.  _ What’s up with that?  _ Zuko wondered. He had no right to be  _ jealous _ over Katara. 

“On the house.” Aang smiled at Katara, and Zuko arched his brow.

“Thanks, Aang,” Katara said as she brought her glass to her lips. 

The bartender walked away, and the four of them fell back into conversation. Zuko didn’t say much as Sokka, Suki, and Katara talked about things that had been happening in the South Pole. Instead he watched the dynamic between the three of them. 

It was a far cry from how things were between Zuko, Ty Lee, and Azula. He and Ty Lee were friends—in fact, they had met long before Azula came to Ba Sing Se—so that was similar to Katara and Suki, but the way the siblings were with each other was nothing like Azula and Zuko. There was no competition, no underhandedness. They were just...siblings. 

Aang kept the drinks coming at Sokka’s insistence, and soon Zuko was feeling the pleasant warmth of the whiskey in his belly as his head buzzed. He could tell the others were feeling it too: Suki and Katara were giggly and Sokka couldn’t keep a grin off his face. 

At some point Suki turned around and eyed the billiards table. “Couples’ pool, anyone?” 

“Oh no, no.” Katara shook her head. “You and Sokka get  _ way  _ too competitive.”

“Me? What about you?” Sokka retorted. He nudged her foot under the table. “Come on, sis! We haven’t played pool in forever.”

“It’ll be fun.” Suki grinned at her. “Come on. You’re only in town for the weekend. Let’s enjoy it.”

Katara gave Suki a look, and Suki batted her eyelashes back dramatically. Then Katara looked away and let out a sigh. 

She glanced at Zuko. “Are you down to play?” 

It was her subtle way of asking if he even knew how to play. That hadn’t exactly come up during their interrogations of each other. Katara wasn’t sure if she was disappointed or relieved when Zuko nodded.

“Yeah,” he said. 

Sokka stood up. “Sweet. I’ll go pay Aang. Katara, you go and rack the balls.” 

Suki tagged along with Sokka, leaving Zuko and Katara alone. She eyed him as they stood up and started for the pool tables. 

“I hope you’re good at this,” Katara told him as they started to pull the balls out of the pockets. “My brother will use this as a test. If he beats you, he’ll take it as you being basically worthless.”

“Pool seems like a really stupid way to judge someone’s worthiness.”

Katara shrugged as she started to put the pool balls into the rack. “My brother has a weird honor code. I don’t get it either.”

“You’re not racking those right. It’s supposed to be solid, stripe, solid, stripe.”

“We play a bit by our own rules,” Katara said as she put the last ball in place. She slid the rack into its spot at one end of the table. “We rack the balls by number, not color.” 

Zuko grabbed a pool cue and inspected it. “Anything else I should know about?”

“Pretty basic, honestly. Can’t hit the other team’s ball to get ours. You have to call your pocket on the eight ball. You scratch the cue ball, they get to put it wherever they want on the table. Sinking the eight ball is an automatic loss.”

Zuko handed her the cue with a smirk. “And how does couples’ pool work?”

“We play as a team. I take a turn, then you, and Sokka and Suki will too.” Katara chalked her stick. “But Sokka will probably act like the two of you are in a game all your own. So you better be good.”

“I’m great.” Zuko grabbed a cue for himself. 

“Even drunk?”

“I’m not drunk.” Zuko leaned closer to her. “I hope you play good, Kuruk. Your brother doesn’t like me.”

Katara looked away. Sokka and Suki were making their way over. “I know.”

Sokka grabbed a cue for himself and Suki. “You guys ready to play?”

“Let’s do this,” Zuko said levelly.

Sokka chalked his cue. “Ladies first.” 

“You can go first, Suki,” Katara said. She lifted the rack off of the table.

Suki chalked her pool stick before she sat the cue ball and took her shot. There was a resounding  _ clack  _ throughout the bar that drowned out Johnny Cash’s voice on the jukebox. Suki sank a stripe and a solid into two different pockets.

“Call it, babe,” Sokka said.

Suki appraised the table for the next best shot. “Solid.” 

She lined up her shot and sent the cue ball rolling, sinking another solid-colored ball. She missed her next shot.

“You wanna go, or me?” Katara murmured.

Zuko met Sokka’s cool gaze. “You go.”

Katara let out a silent sigh as she went around the table to take her shot. Zuko was right. Sokka  _ didn’t  _ like him. Katara couldn’t quite get what he had said to her back at the house. She was suddenly regretting all of the times she had called Sokka or Suki to complain about Zuko. Could he be redeemed in her brother's eyes?

She made one shot and missed the next. Sokka took his turn and sank three more of their balls, putting them far ahead of Zuko and Katara. Then it was Zuko’s turn, and Katara watched apprehensively as Zuko lined his cue up. 

He made the shot, then three more after that. Katara picked her jaw up off the floor when he turned to her with a cocky smirk. 

“You’re good,” she remarked.

His smirk widened. “I know.”

The game proceeded. It was clear that Sokka was displeased by Zuko’s obvious skill, and that made him try harder. His competitive streak made itself known with his little jibes he’d make, and by the time they were down to the eight ball, Katara was mostly sober and over the entire evening, so she ordered another vodka cran. 

“Just you and me, bud,” Sokka said to Zuko as he lined up his shot at the eight ball. 

The corner of Zuko’s mouth twitched. “May the best man win.”

“Eight ball, left corner pocket,” Sokka gritted out. 

He took the shot. The cue rolled down the table and collided with the eight ball, but Sokka had put too much force behind it. Instead of going into the pocket, the ball bounced back and forth between the mouth of the pocket before it was spit back out onto the table. It bumped uselessly against the side before rolling to a stop near the opposite edge, leaving a perfect shot for Zuko.

Katara watched as Zuko went around the table, oozing confidence. She had to admit, it was well-deserved. He was  _ good.  _ Every move he made was calculated. Even shots Katara thought he would miss, he made. She had considered herself a decent player, but she was an amatuer compared to Zuko.

“Eight ball. Right corner pocket.” He leaned over the table and lined up his shot, his unscarred eye following the path the cue ball would take. 

Katara held her breath. She glanced over at Sokka and Suki. Her brother’s expression was set in a scowl. Apparently, he knew he was in trouble. She turned her eyes back to Zuko as he made the shot, the pool cue gliding smoothly along the space between his thumb and forefinger. The cue ball hit the eight ball with a soft  _ click.  _ Katara watched as the ball rolled across the table and fell gently into the pocket.

“Whoo-hoo!” Katara whooped, clapping her hands ecstatically. 

Zuko straightened up with a grin and looped his arm around Katara’s shoulders, drawing her into his side. The smell of his cologne washed over her and Katara felt her heart stop in her chest. But before she could think too much about it, Zuko let go of her and turned to Sokka and Suki.

“Good game,” he said to Sokka.

Sokka plucked the eight ball out of the pocket and held it out to Zuko. “Oh, we’re not done yet. Let’s play another round.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Drunk Katara. An awkward situation. And a fucking eagle.

Katara stumbled up the stairs and let out a loud giggle that she quickly stifled behind her hand. How had she managed to get so drunk? She supposed it was probably sometime after her fifth vodka cran. But now her brain was murky and her feet felt like they had grown two sizes, and she was realizing that the stairs at Gran-Gran’s house were like those at a funhouse. 

“Ssh,” Zuko whispered to her. “You’re gonna wake everyone up.” 

Katara looked back at him from over her shoulder and offered him a drunken smile. “Sorry,” she said in a singsong voice.

The toe of Suki’s ridiculously-tall stilettos caught the next step and suddenly Katara was falling forward precariously towards the next step. Then her hand caught the rail and she pulled herself upright, but she overextended herself and ended up leaning backwards.

“Whoa!” she yelped.

“Shit!”

Suddenly, Zuko’s hand was on her ass. At least she wasn’t falling anymore. But Zuko’s hand was on her ass. Zuko, her fake fiancé. Zuko, her former boss. Zuko, whom she had spent the last year calling  _ asshole _ . 

“Hand off ass! Off ass!” Katara hissed.

His hand slid from her ass to her waist and then the other hand was on her other hip, preventing her from falling. Katara gripped the rail and regained her balance. Katara looked back at him and huffed out a breath.

“There you go,” Zuko said as he released her.

“It’s these stupid fucking shoes,” Katara muttered as she started up the stairs again.

Finally, she made it into her room. Zuko came in behind her and shut the door. Katara reached down and slid down the zipper holding her foot hostage in those awful shoes. She kicked it off and stepped down, feeling relieved to be flat on her feet. Then she unzipped the other one and wandered over to where her suitcase was sitting on top of the dresser.

“You know, I’m not sure why you didn’t just take the shoes off when we left the bar,” Zuko remarked as he went over to his own suitcase.

“Because I’m drunk,” Katara muttered. She pulled out her pajamas and bag of toiletries. “I’m gonna go get changed in the bathroom. I hope you know you’re sleeping on the floor.”

“I assumed that was the arrangement.”

Katara left the room, and Zuko pulled out his pajama bottoms and a plain white shirt. At home, he usually slept shirtless—and sometimes naked—but he thought that might be out of the question with Katara. 

He changed quickly so that Katara couldn’t walk in on him. But she wasn’t back by the time he was done, so he took a look around the room. As far as he could tell, the only blanket was the one on the bed, and the damn Baby Maker. He was  _ not _ using that. He would rather freeze. The South Pole was fucking cold, and so was this house. Then he appraised the hard-wood floors and let out a sigh. 

_ It’s just two nights _ , he told himself.

The door opened and Katara came back in. Zuko turned towards her and found her dressed in a pair of flannel pajama bottoms and a t-shirt. And she was wearing a pair of fuzzy slippers. She’d washed the makeup from her face and piled her hair into a haphazard bun on the top of her head, and somehow, Zuko found that this was so far his favorite look on her.

“So I’m not using the Baby Maker,” Zuko said.

Katara’s eyes fell on the blanket, which was in the same spot they had left it in on the foot of the bed. 

“Shit. I’ll go grab one from the linen closet.” She spun on her heel and opened the door, wobbling only a little. “And if anyone asks, we just got cold.”

“Got it.”

She returned a few moments later with a quilt folded over her arm. Her eyes landed on Zuko for a moment, but then they were drawn to something outside of the window behind him.

A little drunken smile creased her face. “It’s snowing.”

Zuko looked behind him. Sure enough, snowflakes were falling heavily outside. 

“I guess you were right,” Zuko said, remembering her comment from earlier that evening.

Katara came deeper into the room, setting the quilt on the bed before she came to stand beside the window.

She was still smiling. It was an almost childlike wonder in her eyes. Zuko had never seen someone so happy because of the weather, but he assumed part of that was also the copious amount of alcohol she had consumed. Then Katara looked up at him.

“I’m gonna go outside for a little bit,” she said.

Zuko’s eyebrow lifted. “Are you crazy? It’s fucking freezing out there.”

Katara turned away from the window and headed for the door. “I don’t care. It’s snowing.”

She left the room and for a moment Zuko stared at the open doorway. Then with a muttered “fuck”, he stuffed his feet into his shoes and followed her. 

He found her shrugging into her parka in the foyer. Zuko grabbed his coat off the rack and put it on.

Katara looked at him with a silly drunk smile. “You don’t have to come out with me.”

“Are you kidding me? You’re drunk. You might fall into a snowdrift or something.”

“There isn’t  _ that  _ much snow yet.” Katara opened the door. “Wait, is that Zuko Sozin being concerned about another person?”

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

She stepped out onto the porch and leaned against the railing to watch the snow coming down. Zuko stopped beside her.

“What did you mean?” he asked her again.

Katara shrugged, her eyes turned up to the sky. “You’re a dick. You always have been.” She looked over at him with a curious frown. “Is that why you don’t have a girlfriend? Why you don’t date?”

“Katara, keep your voice down! Someone might hear you,” Zuko hissed. “And I  _ do  _ fucking care about people. And that’s  _ not  _ why I don’t have a girlfriend.”

Her eyes were back on the falling snow. “I’d say it’s because of how you were raised, but I’ve met your mom and uncle. They’re nice. But you and Azula…you guys are assholes. Does it have something to do with the father you won’t talk about?”

“Now is not the time to talk about this,” Zuko gritted out.  _ She’s just drunk,  _ he told himself. 

“I’ve got to know, for the interview.” 

“I’ll tell you tomorrow, then.”

Katara tilted her head to the side as she continued to watch the snow. “I don't know why I don’t have a boyfriend. It’s not for lack of trying. Is it because I work too much? Or is something wrong with me?” 

“Katara—”

“They always leave.” Her voice was barely above a whisper. “Or they’re horrible people, like my last boyfriend. He was cheating on me. Gave me fucking chlamydia.” She peeked at him. “Don’t worry. It’s gone now.” Then she barked out a laugh. “Though I guess it doesn’t really matter, since you aren’t going to  _ actually  _ be my husband.”

Zuko opened his mouth to say something, but then he shut it again. She was drunk and rambling, and given how many vodka cranberries she’d enjoyed at The Sea Raven, it was unlikely she would even remember this conversation in the morning. But he thought about what his mother used to tell him when he was a child, when his father would come home drunk, ranting and raving, and she would say that drunk words are sober thoughts. 

Katara leaned against the rail and let out a deep sigh. “By the time we wake up tomorrow, I’ll bet there will be at least six inches of snow on the ground.”

Zuko looked upwards with a frown. The flakes that were coming down were slow and lazy. It didn’t seem likely there would be that much snow in the morning.

“I doubt it,” Zuko said.

Katara lolled her head against her shoulder to look at him. “Wanna bet?”

Zuko snorted out a laugh. “Katara, you’re drunk. It wouldn’t be fair for me to take advantage of you like that.” 

Katara laughed too, a loud sound that cut through the quiet night. It was a drunk laugh, a silly laugh, and unlike anything Zuko had ever heard from her before.

“Let’s go to bed,” Zuko suggested. “It’s cold out here.”

“Cold? This is  _ nothing.  _ Cold is when it’s zero degrees with a windchill of twenty below.”

Zuko took her elbow and guided her back into the house. She swayed unsteadily on her feet so Zuko exchanged his grip on her arm for one on her waist as they ascended the stairs. Katara broke away from him and shuffled over to the bed, where she slipped under the duvet and turned her back to him. 

Zuko appraised the floor and his quilt before he let out a sigh and laid down, stretching out and draping the quilt over himself. He closed his eyes and hoped he would fall asleep soon. 

Then a pillow landed on his face, and he heard Katara murmur, “Forgot to give you a pillow.”

In a matter of moments, she was snoring softly. Zuko lay awake staring at the ceiling for a long time.

* * *

Zuko had always been an early riser. Even through his teen years, when almost everyone he knew slept in late on the weekends—even Azula. Zuko found that he rarely slept past six in the morning, regardless of what time he went to sleep.

And that was how he found himself lying awake at 7:30 am on the hardwood floor, feeling the cold draft along the floorboards, and listening to the gentle sound of Katara’s snores. It reminded him of a cat’s purr, and it was oddly soothing, enough to lull him into a state of semi-consciousness despite the ache in his back and the gooseflesh prickling across his skin. 

_ Definitely gonna need more blankets tonight,  _ Zuko thought drowsily. 

He looked over at the bed. From his position on the floor, he could only see part of the curve of Katara’s hip and shoulder under her duvet.  _ I bet it’s nice and warm up there _ . 

Zuko’s eyes jerked back to the ceiling.  _ Nope. Don’t even go there. She’s your  _ assistant.  _ Well,  _ was  _ your assistant. Either way, this is fake, fake, fake, fake— _

The sound of heavy footsteps on the stairs pulled him from his thoughts and Zuko pushed himself up onto one elbow as his heart picked up its pace in his chest. 

He heard Sokka’s voice boom back down the stairs: “I’ll go see if the two lovebirds are alive yet.”

_ Shit!  _ Zuko scrambled up off the floor, pulling the quilt with him. Katara was curled up near the middle of the bed, snoring and oblivious.

“Katara! Katara!” Zuko hissed. “Katara, your brother is coming up the stairs. Get up!” 

Katara sat upright suddenly, her eyes landing on the door. They widened when she heard the footsteps and she looked up at Zuko. 

“Shit! Get over here, just for a second.” 

She scooted over on the bed and Zuko hesitated for only a moment before he lifted the duvet and slipped in beside her. They hurried to adjust the duvet over the top of them, and his hand grabbed the Baby Maker that was bunched up at the foot of the bed.

“Not the baby blanket,” Zuko muttered as he tossed it off the bed. He looked at Katara. “Okay, what do we do? Pretend we’re still asleep?”

“Just spoon me!” 

She settled back down on her pillow and Zuko lay beside her, one arm daring to wrap around her waist. Katara suddenly jerked away from him and glanced back at him, her eyes wide.

“Oh my spirits, what is  _ that _ ?”

Zuko suddenly became very aware of what his body was doing. Heat rose in his cheeks. “I’m sorry. It’s morning?”

“What do you mean, it’s morning?” Katara let out a breath before she turned and settled back down. “Gross.” She paused. “You’re on my hair.”

Zuko adjusted and pulled her hair out from under his arm, throwing it over her shoulder. “It was in a  _ bun _ last night! How did this even happen?”

“Ssh!”

There was a loud knock on the door. 

“Hey lovebirds, feeling hungover this morning?” Sokka called through the door. 

“Do we answer?” Zuko murmured.

Katara was staring at the wall in front of her, her sleep-addled brain thudding with her hangover as she tried to compute the fact that Zuko was laying in bed behind her, close enough she could feel the warmth of his breath tickling the hairs on the back of her neck. And his...his  _ thing _ had touched her. And it had definitely been standing at attention.

“Probably should,” she finally managed to whisper back. 

Sokka knocked again, louder this time. “Come on, you two! We’ve got big plans today. Big, big plans.” 

“We’re up!” Katara called out, her voice higher pitched than usual. She cleared her throat and tried again. “We’ll be downstairs soon!”

“Alright. Hurry up.”

She listened to the sound of Sokka’s boots walking away, and she sank into the mattress with a sigh. 

“That was close,” Zuko said quietly behind her.

Katara rubbed the sleep from her eyes. “That could’ve been bad. At least he didn’t just barge in.”

“Yeah, good thing.” Zuko sat up. “Sorry...about that. I panicked.”

Katara pushed herself up into a sitting position and glanced over at him. “At least I didn’t punch you this time.”

Zuko chuckled. “Yeah, that was nice.” He stood up suddenly, as if he just realized he was still sitting on the bed with her. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine.” Katara put her legs over the edge of the bed as her head thundered hotly, and she cradled it in her hands. “But my head is not. Spirits, I haven’t been this hungover since my college graduation.”

He looked at her, brow creased. “Want me to get you some water? And maybe Tylenol?” 

She stood up slowly. “That’s okay. I’m gonna take a shower and it’s all in the bathroom.” Katara shuffled over to her suitcase and started rifling through it. “You can either hide up here or go get some coffee. Your choice.”

Zuko grimaced. Coffee  _ did  _ sound good, but dealing with Sokka again did not.

They had played a total of four games—the last two being just between him and Sokka, as the girls had bowed out—and Sokka had lost every single one of them. After his final loss, Sokka had basically just ignored Zuko, fuming. Zuko only hoped that his bad mood hadn’t carried over into the morning.

“Yeah...coffee,” Zuko muttered. “And uh, what, exactly, are the big plans for today?”

She considered that for a moment. “You know, I’m not sure. My dad and brother are gonna want to get to know you, so maybe they’ve planned something.” Katara headed for the door. “Shower’s yours when I’m done.”

“Thanks.”

Then she was gone. Zuko let out a sigh. He grabbed his hooded sweatshirt out of his bag and pulled it over his head before he left the room. He could hear the shower running in the bathroom, but he didn’t allow his thoughts to linger on the young woman behind the door who was likely in a state of undress right now. 

He crept silently down the stairs, hoping to avoid detection for as long as he could. He could smell coffee, and he could hear Katara’s family laughing in the kitchen. Zuko made his way through the dining room and into the spacious kitchen. Kanna spotted him first, and she gave him a cheerful smile. 

“Good morning, Zuko,” she greeted, her eyes twinkling. “I hope you slept warmly.”

“It was fine,” Zuko replied quickly as the heat returned to his cheeks. He moved deeper into the kitchen. “Can I get some coffee?”

“Sure. I just made a full pot,” Kya said. She pointed to the cupboard. “Mugs are in there. Is Katara awake?”

Zuko opened the cupboard and pulled down a cup. “Yeah, she’s taking a shower right now.” He filled his cup. 

“We have big plans today,” Kanna said as she bustled over to the coffee pot. Zuko moved out of the way. “We are taking Katara into town, and I think the boys have something planned for you.”

Zuko paused with the coffee cup halfway to his mouth. His eyes cut to Sokka and Hakoda. “What sort of plan?”

Hakoda came over towards them. “In the Water Tribes, it’s a wedding ritual for the father of the bride to take the future husband out hunting.”

Zuko swallowed hard. “Hunting?” 

“Yeah, you know. Like, out in the woods. With a gun. Shooting a deer. That kind of hunting.” Sokka smirked from where he sat at the kitchen table, drinking his own cup of coffee. 

“I know what hunting is,” Zuko snapped.

“Do they hunt in the Fire Nation?” Kanna asked as she moved towards the refrigerator. She glanced at him. “That’s where you’re from, isn’t it?”

“Um, yeah.” Zuko took a drink of his coffee. “I’m sure people do hunt.”

“You ever been?” Sokka inquired.

He cleared his throat. “Ah, no.”

Sokka grinned. “Well, prepare to have that cherry popped.”

“ _ Sokka _ ,” Kya reprimanded. “Don’t be so crude!”

Kanna chuckled. “Alright, that’s enough. But you’re all eating breakfast before you go.”

Zuko’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and saw that his uncle was calling. He set the mug down on the counter. 

“Excuse me,” Zuko said. “I have to take this.” Zuko started towards the living room as he answered the call and pressed the phone to his ear. “Uncle? Is everything okay?”

Iroh’s voice came over the line, garbled. “Are you—Kyoshi Island right—?” Iroh’s voice came over the line, garbled. 

“Hold on, Uncle. Just a sec. I have shit service.”

Zuko hurried into the foyer, grabbing his coat off of the rack by the door before he ducked through it, forgetting to shut it in his search for better service.

“Uncle? Uncle, can you hear me? Hello?”

“The immigration—called—to Kyoshi Island—with Katara. How—her parents?”

“Hold on, Uncle. I still can’t hear you.” 

Zuko’s shoes crunched over the freshly fallen snow and he took a moment to see how much had fallen overnight. Again, it seemed like Katara was right: there were several inches of fresh powder on the ground. 

“Can—hear—”

“Hold on…” 

Suddenly, there was a sharp bark from behind him. Zuko spun and saw Momo standing on the bottom porch step, his beady eyes trained on Zuko.

“No, no, no. Sit. Sit!” Zuko pointed at the dog.

“What—?”

“Not you, Uncle, no, no. Hold on. I still have no service. This place is a wasteland.” 

Zuko kept his eyes on Momo as he backed further down the driveway in pursuit of better service.

Finally, he found some decent service. “Can you hear me now? Zuko, did you make it to Kyoshi Island?”

“Uh, yeah. Katara wanted me to meet her parents so we flew down here…” 

“How is everything going?”

Zuko watched as Momo launched himself off of the bottom step and bolted across the snow. Overhead, an eagle squawked. Zuko’s eyes landed on the bird, which had been perched in a tree. He watched as it took flight, cutting across the yard. It was heading straight for Momo.

“Shit!” Zuko started for the dog, his shoes slipping across the snow. “No, no, no!”

“Zuko, are you alright?”

“Momo,  _ come! _ ” Zuko shouted. 

The dog kept running, yapping obnoxiously, completely unaware of the predator bearing down on him. When Zuko was just feet away from Momo, the eagle swooped and clutched the dog in its claws.

“No!” Zuko shouted. “Give me that dog! Come here!” 

He chased after the bird, his phone completely forgotten in his hand. The eagle was struggling to carry the weight of the dog. Zuko watched as the bird dipped closer to the ground. 

Katara’s family would hate him if he was the reason their dog got eaten by an eagle. Zuko would hate  _ himself _ if something happened to the dog. He hated dogs, but he didn’t want to see one die. 

“Give me the dog!” Zuko yelled uselessly at the eagle. 

Incredibly, Momo slipped from the eagle’s grasp. Zuko launched himself forward, arms outstretched, and somehow caught Momo. He landed on his stomach in the snow, hard enough to knock the air from his lungs. His phone flew from his hand, and he watched in utter disbelief as the eagle dropped low and grabbed it.

“No!” Zuko shouted after it. “Fuck!” 

Momo whimpered in his arms and licked his nose. Zuko recoiled before he scrambled onto his knees, cradling the dog in his arms. He watched the eagle disappear from sight.

_ That’s just great,  _ Zuko thought to himself. He cast a despondent look around.  _ Probably don’t have a Best Buy around here either. _

Zuko dragged himself to his feet, shivering. He was without a phone, holding a dog that smelled like wet fur, and he was freezing. He could feel the snow seeping into his shoes. 

And he was going to go hunting with Katara’s dad and brother. In the snow and the cold. Zuko had never even held a gun in his life, let alone gone hunting. He was already not looking forward to this. 

* * *

When Katara came downstairs, she found her mom and grandmother standing at the living room at the window, looking out into the yard. Kya looked over at her when she heard Katara come down the stairs.

“Katara, come look at this,” she said. “Is that cute or what?”

Katara frowned as she walked over to them. “What? Where’s Zuko?”

“He’s playing with Momo,” Kanna answered. She pointed out the window. “We thought he didn’t like him.”

Katara peered out the window. She was shocked to see Zuko on his knees in the snow, cradling Momo to his chest. She had to resist the urge to snort out a laugh at how ridiculous he looked out there. But then she realized that maybe something was wrong. Zuko  _ hated _ the cold. So why would he be out there playing with Momo in the snow?

“You should probably go get him, Kat,” Kya said. “Your dad and brother have a whole day planned with him, and he needs to get ready.”

“What, exactly, are they planning?”

“They’re taking him hunting,” Kanna answered. “To prove that he can take care of you.”

This time, Katara didn’t stop her snort. “Oh, so it takes killing a deer to do that?”

Kya rested her arm on Katara’s shoulder. “Come on, Katara. You know how seriously your father takes our traditions. He killed a deer with my father.”

“And my first husband killed a deer with my father,” Kanna added. “Even Pakku went hunting and killed a deer for me, even though my father was long dead by that point.”

Katara held her hands up. “I get it, I get it. Killing deer is important in our family.” She turned around and started for the front door, muttering under her breath, “Fucking crazy family traditions.”

Katara shrugged into her coat before she went out onto the porch. Zuko was just getting to his feet. She took in the snow and allowed herself a small, satisfied smirk as she saw how much snow had fallen. She had been pretty drunk last night, but she did recall betting him about how many inches of snow they would get. 

“What the hell are you doing?” Katara asked as she approached him. 

Zuko looked up and saw her. “Your brother was completely right. An eagle came and tried to take the dog. Then I saved him, then it came back, and that fucking bird took my phone.”

Katara arched her brow. “Are you drunk?”

“What?” Zuko blinked. “No, I’m serious. That stupid eagle took my phone, and my uncle was calling, and now I don’t have a phone.”

“Relax, okay?” Katara reached out and touched his shoulder. “There’s a Walmart about thirty miles away in another village. We can go get you a new phone there.”

Zuko snorted. “Yeah, when? Between your grandmother’s birthday dinner tonight and your dad taking me hunting today, when will we have time?”

“I’ll go get one for you, then,” Katara said placatingly. “My mom and gran are taking me into town, so it shouldn’t be a problem.”

Zuko handed her the dog before he raked his hand through his hair. “Hunting. With your dad and brother.” 

“Have you ever been?”

Zuko shook his head. “Nope. I’ve never even  _ shot _ a gun. What if I make a fool of myself? I want your family to respect me. Why do we even have to go hunting in the first place? It’s stupid.”

Katara could see that Zuko was spiraling. She needed to calm him down, or she worried he might board the next ferry back to Kyoshi. 

“It’s not that bad,” Katara said soothingly. “My dad will go over gun safety with you. He’ll take you to where there’s lots of bucks. You find one, you point your gun at it, and you shoot it. Easy peasy.”

Zuko eyed her. “Do  _ you  _ hunt?”

“No.” Katara shook her head. “My dad took me twice, but I had the biggest meltdown over him shooting Bambi’s dad, so he never took me again. I much prefer my meat already slaughtered and packaged at the grocery store, thank you very much.”

Zuko cracked a half-grin. “Me too. I actually don’t eat much meat. In the Fire Nation, it’s mostly fish and poultry. There’s not really a lot of game animals to eat.”

“Oh, I didn’t know that.” Katara glanced back towards the house. She could see the faint outline of her mom and grandma still standing in the window. She turned to Zuko. “My mom and gran are watching us. I’m gonna give you a hug so they don’t think we’re fighting or something, okay?”

Zuko frowned. “Why would they think we’re fighting?” 

“Well, for one, you’re frowning. And you’re out here looking all exasperated. You’re very animated.” Katara let out a sigh. “Doting fiancé, remember?”

“Right.”

Katara leaned in, wrapping the arm not holding Momo around his neck. She stretched up onto her toes and pressed her cheek against his, wondering how far she needed to go to make this look convincing, while also ignoring the way the slight stubble on his cheek sent pleasant shivers across her skin. She could also smell his cologne more strongly now, and she breathed lightly through her mouth to avoid breathing it in too deeply. 

Zuko hesitated for only a moment before he slipped one arm around her waist and pulled her against him, close enough that he could feel the shape of her chest pressed against his and he could feel the dampness of her hair where it brushed against his skin.

“Okay, this is probably good.” Katara pulled back from him, ignoring the way her heart was pounding in her chest. 

“Hopefully that was convincing enough,” Zuko muttered as his blood rushed back to the rest of his limbs. 

“Let’s go inside,” Katara said. “It’s freezing out here. Gran-Gran’s making breakfast, and you should eat before you go.”

The two of them started back for the house, their shoes crunching over the freshly-fallen snow. Katara looked up at him with a smirk on her face.

“I told you,” she said.

Zuko frowned down at her. “Told me what?”

“That it would snow several inches.” She cocked her head. “I recall you doubting my prediction. I believe we had a bet, and you lost, Zuko.”

Zuko barked out a laugh. “Oh no, I didn’t.  _ You _ were drunk and wanting to make a bet. Being the gentleman that I am, I declined. I wasn’t about to take advantage of you.”

“But you would’ve lost,” Katara pointed out.

Zuko shrugged. “Inconsequential details. The fact of the matter is that we did, in fact, not make a bet for me to lose. Therefore, you don’t have a point.”

“Sounds to me like you’re just salty that you  _ would _ have lost, had we, in fact, made a bet.”

Zuko looked down at her. “Fine. You won, I lost. Are you happy now?”

Katara beamed a smirk at him. “Yes, thank you.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. The movie had so many funny, embarrassing, cringey scenes so I really hope I captured that well here.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hakoda and Sokka take Zuko hunting, and he considers homicide (just kidding...mostly). Katara's family have planned a surprise for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warning: animal death. Non-graphic.
> 
> Also, I'm sorry for the delayed upload. I have no idea how time got away from me! You guys need to come yell at me on Tumblr, Twitter, and Instagram. 
> 
> Find me on Insta & Twitter under the_savage_daughter0627 & Tumblr as the-savage-daughter-0627!

Zuko decided very quickly that he absolutely hated hunting, and that he never wanted to experience anything remotely like this again. He was cold, wet, and miserable, and if Sokka made  _ one  _ more asinine comment, Zuko was liable to turn the gun in his hands on  _ him _ .

_ At least I wouldn’t have to worry about being deported. I’d be in jail for murder,  _ Zuko thought darkly as he sat in what was virtually a treehouse—which Hakoda and Sokka called a deer stand, but which seemed to Zuko to be more akin to a prison cell.

“How long until the deer show up?” Zuko asked, his patience running thin. 

“They’ll show up when they feel like it,” Sokka replied with the air of superiority he’d held since they arrived. 

“Hunting can be a test of patience, Zuko,” Hakoda said sagely. “Patience is a desired trait in a husband. If you can hunt all day and not bag a single buck, but go home just happy to be with your wife, then you’re a good man.” 

“Hmph,” Zuko grumbled. He wasn’t sure how he felt about these water tribe traditions. 

“Why don’t you tell us a bit more about yourself, Zuko?” Sokka drawled. He reached into the cooler beside him and pulled out three bottles of beer, passing one to Zuko and the other to Hakoda. “Katara’s worked for you for a year, and I think all I know about you is that you’re an asshole to work for.”

Zuko nearly choked on his beer at Sokka’s brazenness. He managed to swallow it down before he struggled to answer. 

“Um, my job...it’s...you know. I’m in charge of an entire department...gotta keep employees in line...but I’ve never—I never took any frustrations out on Katara. She’s...she’s been a great employee.” He cleared his throat. 

“A temper in a man can be a sign of one of two things,” Hakoda said slowly. “It can be a sign of passion, or a sign of volatility. Which would you say it is for you, Zuko?”

“Passion, I hope,” Zuko muttered.

Hakoda looked at him from the corner of his eye. “I hope so too, for your sake and Katara’s. She’s got a temper enough for the both of you.”

“Ain’t that the truth.” Sokka slurped his beer. “I was always the voice of reason between us when we were growing up.”

“Now, don’t you feed Zuko a line of bullshit.” Hakoda chuckled. “You might not have the Kuruk temper, but you have your mother’s sense of irrationality.” 

Zuko buried a chuckle of his own with a drink of his beer and Sokka glared daggers at him. 

“What sort of things do you and Katara like to do together?” Sokka asked. There was a sharp bite to his tone, and Zuko knew he hadn’t done himself any favors by laughing at him. “Besides work stuff, of course.”

“Right.” Zuko felt his irritation mount. His brain whirled as he tried to recall facts that Katara had told him about herself, the things she was into. “We, um, watch a lot of horror movies together. After work and stuff. We uh...go to museums. Out to dinner. Stuff like that.”

“That’s nice,” Sokka said insincerely. 

“Ssh, ssh, ssh.” Hakoda leaned forward in his seat, setting his beer on the ground softly. He lifted his rifle and looked through the scope. Then he pointed. “There. A buck. Eight point. Beautiful son of a bitch.” 

Sokka held up his own rifle and let out a low whistle. “Shit, what a beauty. That’s a buck you get stuffed and mounted.” 

Zuko imitated the two of them and lifted his rifle, bringing his good eye up to the scope. He had vision in his left eye despite the scarring, but it was more poor than his right eye. He squinted through the scope, disoriented by the sudden magnification of the snow-coated woods beyond the deer stand. Eventually, he found the deer.

Zuko had never seen one up close, and he didn’t know much about them, but he supposed that it  _ was _ a magnificent creature. It had fawn-covered fur and large antlers, and it was quietly nibbling on a bush. 

“You got it in your sights?” Hakoda whispered, as if the deer could hear them despite being a hundred yards away. Maybe it could. Zuko didn’t know.

“Um…”

Katara had been right; Hakoda had rigorously gone over gun safety with him. He had explained the names and functions of the different parts of the rifle Zuko now held, and for a moment, Zuko struggled to remember what the sights were. 

Then he spotted the three little nubs on the barrel of the gun, one near the top and two more at the end, and remembered. He maneuvered the gun until he had the deer lined up in the sights.

“Got it,” Zuko murmured.

“Get it, Zuko,” Hakoda encouraged quietly. “Aim for the heart. Less blood that way.” 

Zuko shifted the gun until the deer’s chest was centered. He took a deep breath and tried to ignore the slight shake of his hands. He had never fired a gun, and he had never killed a living thing. Zuko exhaled slowly as he squeezed the triggering, preparing himself for the loud boom of the gunshot.

But all he got was a  _ click.  _

“Dude. Did you forget to turn the safety off?” Sokka inquired.

“Shit.” Zuko lowered the gun until he saw the safety button. He thumbed it off and put the scope back up to his eye. “The deer is gone.”

Hakoda lifted his gun and scouted for it. “Damn, we missed that one.” He laid his rifle across his lap and picked up his beer. “Don’t worry. Another one will come along.”

Sokka made a distasteful sound. “Pfft. City boys.”

Zuko set his gun down and grabbed his beer, fuming silently.  _ I’ll show you.  _

* * *

Katara’s suspicions were immediately aroused when her mother pulled into the parking lot of the bar in the neighboring town. 

They had spent the morning shopping at the small strip mall, and the trunk of Gran-Gran’s Buick was loaded down with their wares. Somehow, Gran-Gran had convinced her to buy Zuko not one, but  _ two  _ flannels (she hoped he was a medium) because  _ that poor boy will freeze out here. Fire Nationers weren’t built for the cold _ , as Gran had said. Katara had tried to argue that they were leaving tomorrow evening, but Gran-Gran would hear none of it. 

And worse than that, Katara had been subjected to the interrogation she had been dreading since this whole charade had begun. Her mom and grandmother had wanted to know everything about Zuko. Katara was grateful for all of the facts she had learned about him, and those that she knew simply from being his assistant, although those were mostly useless with the questions her family were asking.

But she had made it through, and she was certain she had done a good job of painting a positive picture of Zuko. And now they were outside of the bar in the town over, and Katara could only imagine what was about to unfold. 

“What..are we doing here?” Katara asked nervously as her grandmother pulled into a parking spot.

Kya turned in her seat and offered her a bright smile. “We’re celebrating, sweetie.”

Katara eyed the bar. “A bar seems like a weird place to celebrate Gran-Gran’s birthday.”

Kanna chuckled and looked at Katara in the rear view mirror. “Oh no, dear. We’re not celebrating my birthday. We’re celebrating your engagement!”

“Oh.” Katara swallowed hard. “Is this like a…”

“A bachelorette party,” Kya supplied with a happy clap of her hands. “We’ve invited Suki and Korra. Korra can’t wait to see you. The two of you haven’t seen each other since…”

“High school,” Katara finished. 

Kya scanned the parking lot. “It looks like they’re already here. We shouldn’t keep them waiting.” 

The three of them went inside. Katara spotted Suki and Korra right away, sitting front and center of a small, empty stage with beers already waiting for them. Korra stood up and wrapped Katara in a bone-crushing hug that pressed the air from her lungs.

“Hey, Korra,” Katara rasped out.

“Good to see you!” Korra finally released her, offering a grin. “So, I hear you’re getting hitched to some corporate Fire Nation schmuck. Is that true?”

“He’s not a  _ schmuck _ ,” Katara said defensively as she sank into her chair. “He’s a very good man.”

“Can’t wait to meet him.” Korra sat back down. “Suki says he’s very...interesting. Hell of a pool player.”

“He’s fantastic,” Katara said.

“Oh, I bet your brother just  _ loved _ that,” Kya chuckled as she picked up her beer.

“I don’t think it won Zuko any brownie points,” Katara muttered before she sipped her beer. “I seriously don’t understand how my brother’s mind works.”

Suki snorted out a laugh. “I’ve been married to him for seven years and I  _ still _ don’t get him most of the time.” She touched Katara’s hand. “He’ll come around. He’s just gonna make Zuko earn his approval first.”

“And your dad and brother took him hunting,” Korra remarked. She quirked her brow at Katara. “Do you think that’ll get their approval? I know how seriously Uncle Hakoda takes our traditions.”

Katara suppressed a groan. “I hope so. Zuko doesn’t exactly hunt.” 

“Well,  _ I  _ can’t wait to meet him,” Korra said. “Tonight at Gran’s birthday dinner.”

Katara eyed her grandmother. “Exactly how many people I know are going to be at this dinner, Gran-Gran?”

“Oh, you know…” Kanna pursed her lips. “Just our closest friends and relatives.”

This time Katara couldn’t quite stop her groan. “So, the entire village of Akarta. Wonderful.”

But then there was no more time for talking as the lights suddenly dimmed and pulsating music began to play from the speakers set up near the stage. Katara stared at her family, wondering what the hell they had just gotten her into.

“What the hell is going on?” Katara demanded to know.

Suki squealed gleefully. “Oh, Katara, you’re gonna love it!”

“Welcome to your bachelorette party.” Korra grinned as she jerked her thumb at the stage. “I’ve got a friend. He happens to be a small-time movie star in the capital, and I was able to convince him to come down here and put on a show for you.”

Katara looked wide-eyed at the stage in horror, suspecting what was about to happen. “Oh no.”

“Oh, yes.” Korra’s grin turned fierce. 

“I think you’re gonna love it!” Suki enthused. 

Suddenly, a small curtain above the stage flew open, and a young man dressed in only black slacks and a tuxedo vest appeared. The gathered crowd whooped and applauded as the young man jumped onto the main stage and began to dance seductively. 

“Work it, Bolin!” Korra called to him. Then she leaned closer to Katara. “I dated his brother for a while. Bolin’s a really cool guy.”

“Real cool,” Katara muttered. 

Her cheeks were burning with embarrassment. How did her family think she would  _ actually  _ enjoy this? Had she been away for so long that her family was out of touch with who she was? 

On the stage, Bolin continued to dance in what Katara supposed might have been a seductive way—if you were a half-blind grandma. Suddenly, he ripped off his pants and revealed a pair of skintight black underwear that left nothing to the imagination. She wanted nothing more than to melt into the floor. Katara hoped Zuko was having a better time than she was.

Korra waved her arm. “Over here, Bolin! Come here!”

Suddenly, he was dancing his way off of the stage towards them. Korra pointed at Katara with a white-toothed grin, and Bolin met Katara’s gaze. He held his hand out to her and Katara shook her head rapidly. A grin spread across his face and he nodded as he reached into his vest and pulled out a bridal veil.

“Oh, no thanks, I don’t need that,” Katara said, still shaking her head.

“Go on, Katara!” Suki encouraged her. “Have some fun! I’m sure Zuko won’t mind.”

“And if he does, he’s not the one to marry,” Kya added.

Korra grabbed Bolin and pulled him closer. “Come on, Bo. Show my cousin a good time!”

Bolin flashed Katara a grin as he swung his hips dangerously close to her. He leaned over and set the veil on top of her head, smoothing it down as he came closer. Katara kept her eyes trained on anything but the bulge in his underwear, wondering what she might have done in a past life to offend the spirits enough to be subjected to this. 

“Show her what she’s going to be missing,” Suki crowed.

Katara glowered at her best friend. Then Bolin offered her his hand.

“Come on, my sweet princess,” he crooned at her. 

“Oh no, that’s not necessary.” Katara shook her head adamantly. “I’m comfortable right here. This is fine.”

“Get up on that stage, or so help me, La, I will tell Zuko  _ every  _ embarrassing story about you from our childhoods,” Korra threatened. 

_ Might not be a bad idea,  _ Katara thought.  _ At least he’d know more about me.  _

“Go, Katara!” Suki encouraged her. “Live a little!”

“Get up here and dance with me,” Bolin insisted enthusiastically.

“Oh, that’s really not necessary,” Katara stammered. “I don’t really—I’d rather—” 

Suddenly Bolin grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet. Korra gave her a push as he started dragging her towards the stage.

“Pluck my eyes out,” Katara muttered.

Then she was up on the stage. Bolin pulled a chair over and pushed her into it, then he was swinging his hips in front of her face. Katara looked at anything but him and her family, who were all laughing and looking like they were enjoying this. 

_ I hope Tui strikes you down,  _ she thought to them.  _ I hope he makes you suffer twice as much for this.  _

Bolin put his hands on the back of his head and jerked his hips in her directly. “For you!” he cheered.

“No, I’m good. I’m really good,” Katara said. 

It wasn’t that Bolin was a bad looking guy. He wasn’t. He was well-muscled and rather handsome, but he definitely wasn’t Katara’s type. She liked her men tall and lean.  _ Like Zuko,  _ a treasonous voice whispered in the back of her head. 

Bolin put his leg up on the arm of her chair and gyrated closer to her. Katara turned her head, her face twisting into an expression of horror. 

“I haven’t seen  _ that  _ move before,” Suki said to Korra.

She covered her mouth to hide her laugh. “Oh my spirits, look at her  _ face! _ ”

“Come on, mama!” Bolin spun around and shook his ass in her face.

Katara wanted to die from the mortification. Korra was going to  _ pay  _ for this! 

“Smack him, Katara!” To Katara’s horror, it was her grandmother shouting up at her. “Give it to him!”

Katara shook her head. “No, no, I don’t want to touch it.”

“Smack his ass!” Korra bellowed.

“Do it, you chicken!” Suki whooped. 

Katara grimaced. “No, I don’t...I think I’m good. I don’t want to—”

“So sweet,” Bolin crooned at her. “Don’t worry. I won’t tell if you won’t.” 

Katara held her hand up, her mouth twisted sourly, wondering what in the actual fuck had led her here, to this moment. She gave Bolin a timid smack and he straightened up, pressing his hand to his mouth as he let out an exaggerated, “Ooh!”

Katara was certain that her face couldn’t get any more red. “Can I get down now?”

Without waiting for an answer, Katara bolted from her seat and hurried off the stage. She swung by the table long enough to grab her coat before she ducked through the door and out into the chilly air. 

Katara trudged across the snowy parking lot, pulling the veil from her hair, unsure of where she was going but knowing she needed a moment to collect herself. She found a bench and brushed the snow off of it before she dropped onto it with a huff. 

Her cheeks were still burning. Katara was by no means a prude, but by the spirits, her mom and grandmother were there! What the hell was Korra thinking? Truthfully, she probably wasn’t. Katara knew her cousin was rather impulsive and didn’t usually think things through. 

But Katara couldn’t be  _ that  _ mad at Korra, could she? It was clear that even Suki and her mom and Gran were in on it. They had probably cooked up this plan last night after Katara had announced her engagement.

A few minutes later, Suki was walking up to her with an apologetic smile. She cleared the remaining snow off of the bench before she sat down. 

“I tried to talk her out of it,” Suki said. “But you know how Korra is.”

Katara shook her head. “I forgot how embarrassing my family can be. Can you believe the first thing Gran said to Zuko was about grandchildren?”

“Actually, yes, I can. She says something to me almost every time I come over.” Suki chuckled. Then she glanced at Katara from the corner of her eye. “So this uh, engagement seems a little sudden.”

“It’s not,” Katara said. “We’ve just...we didn’t tell anyone.”

“How long have you two been seeing each other?” Suki asked.

“Six months,” Katara replied readily. 

“And he’s a good man?” Suki studied her. “Because last I checked, he was an asshole. Unless we’re talking about another Zuko who you  _ also  _ worked for.” 

Katara shook her head. “No, same asshole. He’s just...he’s more than that. It just took me a while to realize that. He’s passionate, and caring, and so smart. He’s incredible at his job. And he loves his family. He’s a good guy.”

Suki reached over and squeezed her hand. “Then I’m happy for you. You’re my girl. I just want to make sure you aren’t fucking your life up or anything.”

Katara struggled to meet her best friend’s gaze as the guilt gnawed at her. She hated lying. But Katara knew that the things she’d said about Zuko were true. So their marriage was a sham, but he was amiable enough. He would take care of her. There were worse things out there. Worse people. Like her ex. 

“I’m not,” Katara finally managed to say. “I love him. Very much.”

“Good.” Suki grinned. “I better be your maid of honor.”

Katara smiled at her. “Duh. I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

Suki stood up and pulled Katara along with her. “Come on. They’re probably wondering where we are.”

“Tell me Bolin put pants back on, at least,” Katara groaned.

Suki smirked at her. “What, thick, gorgeous Earth Kingdom boys aren’t your thing?” She eyed Katara. “Nah, you like them tall, lanky Fire Nation boys.”

Katara gave her a shove as her cheeks reddened again. “Oh, you shut up!”

Suki laughed all the way into the bar. 

* * *

“Hey, Katara,” Sokka called from the foyer. “You better come out here!”

Katara looked up from the deviled eggs she was currently making in preparation for Gran’s birthday dinner. “What?”

“Just come here!”

Kya looked at her. “You better go see what your brother wants.”

With a sigh, Katara set down the bag of filling and wiped her hands off on her apron before she headed for the front door. Sokka was waiting on the front porch. 

“Check out the buck your man scored for you,” he said, nodding towards the car.

Katara took in the buck. It was dead, alright, and currently leaking blood on the hood of Hakoda’s SUV. Zuko was currently sliding out from the backseat. The front of the parka he had borrowed from Sokka was covered in drying blood. 

Katara rested her hands on her hips, the corner of her lips turning up into smirk. “Well, shit. You killed a deer.”

“Beautiful son of a bitch too,” her father said as he came around the hood to admire it. “Six point. We’ll have to get this slaughtered and packaged so you can take some home with you tomorrow.”

Katara laughed. “I don’t think we can take raw meat on the plane, Dad.”

“Then we’ll smoke it and make jerky for you for the next time you’re here,” Sokka said. He shrugged. “Seems like your fiancé’s got some money. I’m sure he can afford to fly you guys down.”

Katara arched her brow at Sokka. Was Sokka starting to come around to Zuko? It sure sounded that way.

Zuko came up the porch steps. He let out a sigh as he leaned his rifle against the porch railing. 

“There you go, love,” he said to her. “You’ve got a buck.”

Katara smirked at him. “Thanks, dear. Go clean up. You smell like blood.”

“Yes, ma’am.” The corner of his lips tugged up as he unzipped his parka.

Katara held out her hand. “I’ll take that. Mom’ll kill you if you drag that through the house. I’ll bring it around the back to the laundry.” 

“Thanks.” 

“I picked your phone up too. I’ve got it charging upstairs.”

“Hey man, I warned you about the eagles,” Sokka remarked.

Zuko snorted. “Yeah, you did.” He gave Katara an appreciative look. “I appreciate it. I’m gonna go take a shower.” 

Katara watched Zuko disappear inside. Sokka put his hand on her shoulder a moment later. He tipped his head in the direction Zuko had gone.

“He’s not half-bad,” was all he said before he went into the house. 

Katara stared after him; she couldn’t help it. Had her brother really said that? Was he possibly,  _ maybe  _ coming around to Zuko? 

“Can I talk to you for a minute, Katara?”

Katara turned back to her father. He was still standing out by the SUV admiring the deer. Katara stuffed her hands in her jacket pockets before she joined him. 

Katara looked up at him. “Is everything okay, Dad?” 

“Yeah, everything’s great.” Hakoda cleared his throat. “Zuko did a good job today. He’s a quick study.”

“He’s very smart.”

Hakoda nodded thoughtfully. Then he looked at her. “I might not...entirely understand why you decided not to tell us about your relationship, but I love you, and if he makes you happy, then I’m happy.” 

Katara swallowed hard, taken aback by her father’s words. “Oh.”

“I’d like to get to know him more, before I give him my full blessing,” Hakoda said. He put his hand on her shoulder and Katara met his gaze. “You guys’ll have to come down again before the wedding. Maybe we’ll come up there for the Solstice or something.”

Katara smiled, but internally, her stomach was twisting into guilt-riddled knots. 

“Yeah, Dad,” she said. “That would be great.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The stripper scene from the movie is one of my favorites, so I knew I had to include it. I hope you guys found it as entertaining to read as I did to write it.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Gran-Gran's birthday dinner, and it seems that Katara's entire family is there. Some of them aren't very happy about her engagement and make their opinions known, which causes Katara to retaliate. Her plan slightly (maybe?) backfires. Later on, she opens herself up more to Zuko.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So for those of you who have seen the movie...imagine Gran's birthday party similar to Andrew's welcome-home party in the movie ;)

“So my dad and brother are really coming around to you,” Katara murmured. 

They were currently hiding in a dark corner of the parlor. Katara wouldn’t say they were exactly  _ hiding _ , but they were certainly making a point of making themselves scarce. It seemed like half of the village was out there, and Katara was certain that everyone was just dying to meet Zuko. 

Zuko looked over at her, his eyebrow lifted in surprise. “Seriously? What did they say?”

“Sokka basically gave his approval,” Katara told him. “And my dad...wants to see more of you. Like, he wants to come visit for Winter Solstice.”

“Holy shit, are you serious?” Zuko gaped at her. He swallowed hard. “What about your mom and grandma?”

“Are you kidding? You’ve seen Gran. She can’t wait for you to knock me up.” Katara took a sip of her wine. “And my mom seems to like you, too.”

Zuko let out a breath. He wasn’t sure if it was one of relief or something else. And he didn’t know how he felt about that, so he just said, “Your family is fucking crazy.”

Katara took another drink of her wine. “Yeah, I know. Pretty sure I told you that.” She snorted out a laugh. “I didn’t have time to tell you, but guess what my family did for me today.” 

“What?”

She gave him a sardonic smirk. “They threw me a bachelorette party. There was even a stripper.” 

Zuko buried a laugh in his beer. “Was she hot, at least?”

Katara shouldered him. “It was a guy. My cousin’s friend, which just makes it worse.”

“I’m sorry.” But he was still snickering and he didn’t sound very sorry at all. 

“Yeah, and all you did was shoot a deer. I think I had the shittier day of the two of us.” 

“Hey, I  _ also  _ had to deal with your asshole brother,” he reminded her. “And my phone was stolen by a bird.”

“There was man-junk.  _ In my face.  _ And I had to spank him. I’m scarred.”

Zuko shuddered dramatically. “Okay, you win. You had a worse day, and your family  _ is  _ crazy.”

“Told you.” She eyed him. “Do you think I’ll have the same luck with your family?”

Zuko snorted. “Are you kidding? You’re a catch. My mom’s gonna adore you. Kiyi will love you. And, well, Iroh already likes you, and so does Azula.”

Katara nibbled her bottom lip. “What about your dad?”

“You’re never going to meet my dad. He’s never going to find out about you.”

Katara peered up at him. “Things are that bad between you, huh?”

Zuko let out a sigh. “I know I told you I’d tell you today, but honestly, I’m too fucking tired to have that conversation with you.”

“You’re too tired, or you’re trying to avoid it?” Katara arched her brow at him. “You’ve been pretty open so far with everything else...but you’re tight-lipped about your dad.”

Zuko shook his head before he tipped his beer down his throat. “Not a good time, Kat.”

“Kat? So we’re moving on to nicknames now?” Katara offered him a smile, feeling bad that she had pressured him about his dad. “Would it be weird if I called you Zuzu?”

“Incredibly.”

Katara snickered. “Fine. Honestly, that felt really weird to say.”

“Good.” Zuko looked at her. “Azula called me that when we were kids. When we were really little, it was because she couldn’t say my name, you know?”

“I used to call Sokka Socky.”

Zuko chuckled. Then he sobered. “As we got older she just said it to get under my skin, you know? To be an asshole. When Kiyi was little, she heard Azula call me that, so she did. She’s never stopped. She never knew  _ why  _ Azula called me that.”

“And you’ve never told her,” Katara said. Zuko shook his head. “That explains your guys’ thing with the names then.”

Zuko nodded. “Yeah. I was twelve when Kiyi was born. I thought she was...the most incredible thing I’d ever seen. At least until she spit up on me.”

Katara laughed. “Man, I’m glad I’m the youngest.” She peered up at him. “You two are close, huh?”

“Yeah, we are.” Zuko shrugged. “She wants to go to college at BSSU next year, like I did. She hates that I live so far away.”

“Good for her,” Katara said. “She seems like a sweet kid.”

“She is.”

“Katara!  _ There  _ you are!” 

Katara looked up and saw an old woman coming their way with a wide smile. Katara leaned closer to Zuko. 

“That’s Hama, Gran’s best friend,” she murmured to him. “Prepare for her to talk your ear off.”

Zuko forced a smile at the old woman as she approached them. “Great.”

Katara stepped forward to meet her, embracing the old woman quickly. “Hama! It’s so good to see you!” She gestured to Zuko. “This is Zuko.”

“Ah, the fiancé!” Hama extended her hand to him. “Hi, how are you? It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Zuko shook her leathery hand. “Good, thank you. Pleasure to meet you.”

Hama turned back to Katara. “Let me see that ring, girl. Ooh, do you know how long we’ve been waiting for this?”

Katara held out her left hand and Hama brought it closer to her face to inspect the ring. “A long time, I’m sure.” 

“Forever, it feels like,” Hama remarked. She twisted Katara’s hand to inspect the ring. “Lovely ring.”

“Thanks,” Katara said as Hama finally let go of her.

Hama appraised Zuko. “So I’ve always wanted to know, what does one do in marketing anyway?”

“That’s a great question, Hama,” a new voice drawled. “I’m curious to know the answer myself.”

Katara looked at the newcomer. “Uncle Unalaq. I wasn’t aware you’d be here.”

“I wouldn’t miss Gran’s party for the world.” He eyed Zuko. “So you’re the Zuko I’ve been hearing about all night, then.”

Zuko’s eyes cut to Katara for a moment. There seemed to be some tension between him and Katara. Zuko wondered what that was about. 

Zuko held his hand out. “Yes. Pleasure to meet you.”

Unalaq ignored the outstretched hand and Zuko let it fall to his side awkwardly. “So why don’t you tell us what marketing is all about, besides convincing hardworking folks to buy shit that they don’t need?”

“Zuko is actually a marketing manager,” Katara interjected before Zuko could answer. “He oversees some of our biggest accounts. He’s in charge of our entire department.”

“Well, that sounds like fun,” Hama said in a clear attempt to ease the tension. She smiled at Katara. “No wonder you like being a...what is it? Market analyst?”

“No, Hama, Katara isn’t a market analyst. She’s Zuko’s assistant.” His eyes pierced Zuko. “Zuko is actually her boss.”

“Actually, I  _ was  _ recently promoted to market analyst,” Katara replied icily.

“Though if Zuko is the head of your department, he’s still your boss, isn’t he?”

Katara exhaled hotly through her nose. She and her uncle hadn’t gotten along in years. She knew he disapproved of her choice to move to the Earth Kingdom rather than stay amongst  _ her  _ people, and to make a career for herself rather than finding a husband—clearly Zuko didn’t fit that bill. Katara didn’t like him because she knew he was just waiting for Gran to die so he could collect his inheritance.

She lifted her empty wine glass. “I’m gonna get a refill.”

Katara stalked away. She was displeased when Unalaq followed her as she went into the kitchen. She shot him a glare as she found a bottle of wine.

“Charming,” she hissed at him.

“You think we don’t know all about this guy, Katara?” Unalaq told her sharply. “Unlike you, the rest of the family  _ actually  _ talks to each other.”

Katara narrowed her eyes at him. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I know exactly what you’ve told your brother,” Unalaq replied aridly as he grabbed a beer. “You show up after all this time, with this man that you hated, and now he’s your boyfriend? And, to make it all better, he’s Fire Nation.”

“Fiancé,” Katara corrected hotly. “Can we not do this here? It’s Gran-Gran’s birthday.”

Unalaq shrugged before he took a sip of his beer. “I just never figured you for a woman who slept her way to the middle.”

Katara gaped at him for a moment, speechless. Was he drunk? He had to be drunk. There was no other explanation for his brazen disrespect. Her hand tightened around the glass in her fingers as she struggled to reign in her temper.

“You are out of line,” she bit out. “And I’ll have you know that that man in there has worked hard to get to where he is. He is one of the most dedicated and hardworking people I know.”

Unalaq pointed an accusatory finger at her. “He’s your meal ticket, and you brought him here to meet your grandmother.”

Katara shook her head, a furious, incredulous smile creasing her face. “No, no, no. He’s not my meal ticket. Not all of us are obsessed with money. He’s my fucking fiancé. I’m going to marry him and make beautiful mixed race babies with him and there’s not a damn thing anyone can do about it. And we are done here, Uncle Unalaq.”

Katara stormed away, feeling the way her limbs trembled with her fury and adrenaline. How  _ dare  _ he? How fucking dare he? She’d had enough! And surely, if her uncle felt that way, it was likely that others felt the way he did. 

She stalked into the dining room, where the most people were gathered. People turned towards her, but Katara was only focused on Zuko, who was still in the parlor with Hama. 

“Zuko, honey, where are you?” She beckoned him to her. “Come on over here.”

Zuko’s eyes widened, and Katara offered him an encouraging nod. Hama nudged him, and Zuko tipped the rest of his beer down his throat before he stepped out into the dining room.

“There he is,” Katara said, pasting a bright smile to her face. “Right there, ladies and gentleman.”

Zuko came to a stop in front of her. “What are you doing?” he murmured out of the corner of his mouth. 

Katara took his hand and faced the crowd. “This is my fiancé. Zuko. Yes, he’s my boss. Yes, he’s from the Fire Nation. And yes, we are madly in love.”

“Congratulations, Katara!” Hama called. 

Choruses of congratulations flooded the air. Katara and Zuko accepted them graciously. Some people were clearly surprised, and Katara was sure she would hear about it later, but for the moment, she didn’t care. 

“Time to celebrate!” Kanna exclaimed. “Let’s get the champagne!”

Korra strode up to them, a grin on her face, with Bolin in tow. Katara’s cheeks grew red, but clearly, Bolin was unfazed by their afternoon.

“Zuko, this is my cousin, Korra,” Katara introduced them. “And this is her friend, Bolin.”

Korra held out her hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Yeah, you too.” Zuko offered his hand to Bolin. “Good to meet you.” 

“Same, man.” Bolin leaned in closer after he clasped Zuko’s hand. “And thanks for being cool about the strip dance thing. Korra begged me to.”

Zuko looked at Katara, one eyebrow arched, and she shrugged helplessly. Then he gave Bolin a small smile. “No worries, man.”

“Great party so far, huh? You and Zuko are all anyone can talk about,” Korra remarked, and Katara’s expression soured. Then Korra grinned. “So, did I miss the story?” 

Zuko and Katara exchanged a look. “What story?” Katara asked.

“About how you proposed,” Korra said to Zuko.

“I wouldn’t mind hearing this story,” Hama, who had suddenly appeared again, said. She winked at Zuko. “The way a man proposes says a lot about his character.”

Hama’s voice carried across the room, and suddenly, it seemed like every set of eyes was on them.

“Oh.” He swallowed hard. “I’m just gonna let Katara tell that story. She loves to tell it. Because I think we should uh, just sit in rapture.”

How had they forgotten to come up with a story for that? How had it completely slipped their minds? Zuko wasn’t sure, but he hoped Katara could think of something quickly.

“Right. Um.” Katara cleared her throat. “Where to begin…? Well, um, Zuko and I were about to celebrate our six month anniversary. I know a lot of people think that’s childish, but really, the sixth month mark is the end of the honeymoon period and I don’t know, I’ve always been such a hopeless romantic. I just...had a feeling he was itching to ask me to marry him. But he was afraid that it was too soon, so I started leaving him hints here and there.”

“I mean, I picked up on all of her hints,” Zuko interjected. “This woman’s about as subtle as a gun.”

Katara gestured to him. “Which you would know now, since my dad and brother took you hunting. He bagged a huge buck. Six point. Amazing.”

“Congratulations,” Korra told him, clearly impressed. 

“What I was worried about was that she would find this...this little box,” Zuko said, gesticulating with his hands.

All around them, her friends and family were watching with rapt attention. Katara knew that she had to paint Zuko in the best light possible in order to get their approval.

“I did find that box,” Katara said. “It was this little decoupage box. Navy blue. Beautiful. And when I opened it—”

“There was nothing in it,” Zuko cut her off. He eyed her, his gaze flickering to the ring on her finger.

_ Shit!  _ Katara scolded herself.  _ How did I forget we picked the ring out together? Gotta keep our stories straight.  _

“Except for a note,” Katara amended. She looked at him. “With the address of a hotel, a date, and a time…” She shook her head a bit. “It was so romantic. So I went to that hotel, and when I got to the room, the door was unlocked. Zuko was waiting for me with a dozen fire lilies—which is incredibly difficult since they’re native to the Fire Nation and are only in season for a few weeks in the early summer—”

Zuko smiled at her. “Anything for you, love.”

Katara returned the smile. “And he was standing there, and when I came in he got on one knee, and asked me to marry him.” She took his hand. “And the rest is history.” She lifted entwined their hands to show off the engagement ring. “We went and picked the ring out together.”

“That is quite a story,” Hama remarked with a warm smile.

“Oh, Zuko!” Kanna beamed a smile at him from where she sat. “You are so sensitive!”

Color rose in Zuko’s unmarked cheek. “Oh, um...it’s no big deal.” 

“Oh yes, it is!” Kanna stood up and waved her hands towards them. “Let’s see a kiss from these two cuties!”

Katara and Zuko exchanged a look.

Zuko shook a head. “Oh no.” 

“Come on, guys,” Katara said, holding her hands up.

“Go for it!” Korra encouraged. She elbowed Bolin. “Or maybe Bolin will instead?”

“Korra!” Katara choked out.

Zuko gave Katara a pleading look, but she just shrugged. He huffed out a breath before he forcibly smiled. “Okay, here we go.” 

He leaned in and pecked her cheek quickly before he pulled back, his cheeks burning. Pink had risen in Katara’s face too. 

But apparently, Katara’s grandmother wasn’t satisfied with that. “What is this?” Kanna exclaimed. “Kiss her on the mouth! Kiss her like you mean it!” 

“Give her a kiss,” Korra insisted, punching his shoulder.

“Please don’t do that,” Zuko muttered. He looked at Katara. “Ready?”

She nodded. “Just do it really fast.”

Zuko leaned in and kissed her quickly, his lips barely brushing over hers. He pulled back and let out a silent breath, hoping her family would leave them be, and suddenly feeling grateful that his family wasn’t much for public displays of affection. 

“Oh, I’m sure you can do better than that!” Kanna laughed gleefully. “How can I expect grandchildren if you can’t even kiss her properly?”

Katara watched as a pink blush crept up his neck. She leaned in closer to him. “Just kiss me, okay?”

“Okay.” 

Zuko kissed her again, this time pressing his mouth fully against hers. She tasted like sweet wine and her lips were soft. Zuko let his eyes fall closed as his hand came up to cup her cheek, his thumb stroking her cheekbone of its own accord. Katara seemed to melt into him, and her hand knotted into the material of his shirt.

Somewhere, distantly, it seemed, her grandmother gave a cheer. “Whoo! Now we’re talking. Aren’t they just so cute?” Katara heard Unalaq mutter sarcastically, “Oh, definitely, Mother.”

“Let’s get the champagne!” Korra whooped.

Katara and Zuko broke apart. For a moment, they stood in place, out of breath. Katara couldn’t tear her eyes away from Zuko, not when she could still feel the impression of his lips on hers. 

“Wow,” she breathed. Then Katara pulled back and downed her wine. She looked at Korra. “Champagne?”

Zuko watched her go, feeling stunned. That kiss was...something else. What did it possibly mean?

* * *

“Do you want to talk about your dad now?” Katara asked softly.

The dinner had finally ended around an hour ago. Zuko and Katara had escaped as quickly as they could, giving the excuse of being tired. Thankfully, her family let them go willingly enough. 

Now they were getting ready to go to sleep. Zuko was on the floor with his pillow and quilt (and reluctantly enough, the Baby Maker—it was even colder tonight than it had been the night before), and Katara was laying on her back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. 

“Somehow, I’m not so sure immigration is going to ask about that,” Zuko deflected. 

“But we don’t know that. We need to know this stuff about each other,” Katara murmured. “Bluffing my parents is one thing. But I really don’t feel like spending five years in prison if we get caught.”

“I’ll tell you tomorrow,” Zuko said with finality. She heard him yawn pointedly.

But Katara had told him that she was stubborn, and she knew he was only putting it off to avoid talking about it. They both had things they didn’t want the other to know, but for this to work, there had to be full disclosure. That included talking about the embarrassing things about themselves, like Katara’s teenage obsession with Justin Bieber, and the painful things, like Zuko’s father. 

“I like stupid reality TV like  _ Teen Mom  _ and  _ Real Housewives _ ,” Katara said quietly.

Zuko frowned. “What?”

“And not in the,  _ haha, isn’t that funny, she likes that trash?  _ kind of way. I actually really enjoy it.” Katara pursed her lips. “I took tap dancing lessons in the sixth grade. My first concert was CeeLo Green. I think Matthew McConaughey is sexy. I don’t like flowers in the house because they remind me of funerals.” Katara exhaled a shallow breath. “I haven’t been with a guy in a year and a half. And...I have gone to the bathroom and cried several times while I worked for you.”

Zuko sucked in a sharp breath. Had she really? He had never known. Had he really been that bad to work for? Sure, Zuko was a stern, no-nonsense boss, but he could’ve been worse. He could have been  _ Zhao.  _

“I’m sure there are many, many other things, but that’s all I can think of right now,” Katara said softly. 

She waited tensely for Zuko to say something, but all she got was silence. She could hear his breathing, and she wondered if he had fallen asleep. Her stomach clenched nervously.

“You there?” Katara whispered.

Zuko’s voice was quiet. “I’m here.” He cleared his throat. “Just processing.” Zuko frowned again. “You really haven’t slept with anyone in eighteen months?”

Katara snorted out an incredulous laugh. “Oh. My. Spirits. Out of  _ all  _ of that, that’s all you got?”

“That’s a long time.” His tone was almost awestricken.

A blush rose in her cheeks. “Well, I’ve been busy.” She narrowed her eyes. “When was the last time  _ you  _ were with a woman?”

Zuko cleared his throat again. “Um…it’s been a while. Nine or ten months.” He paused for a moment. “Who’s the singer, the one you saw? Green something…?”

“CeeLo Green,” Katara supplied, knowing full and well that he was changing the subject but choosing to go along with it. “You know, he sings... _ I see you driving round town with the girl I love and I’m like, fuck you, ooh-ooh-ooh. _ ”

Zuko chuckled. “Yeah, I know. I just wanted to hear you sing it.” 

“Wow, I see how you are.”

“It’s a good song,” he said. Zuko hesitated. “Katara?”

“Yeah?”

Zuko let out a quiet breath. “Don’t take this the wrong way but...you are an incredibly beautiful woman.” 

Katara couldn’t help the girlish smile that spread across her face as a pleasant warmth flushed her cheeks. But before she could say anything, Zuko started singing slightly off-key.

“ _ Yeah, she’s an Xbox, and I’m more Atari, but that don’t mean I can’t get you there. _ ” Katara buried her laugh in her hands. “ _ I pity the fool who falls in love with— _ shit, I can’t sing that high.”

This time Katara didn’t cover her laugh. Zuko joined her a moment later. Then Katara propped herself up on her elbow. Zuko looked up at her.

“I’m not trying to pressure you about your dad, you know,” she told him earnestly. 

Zuko huffed out a breath as he scrubbed his hand down his face, the remaining laughter fading from his face. “I know. It’s just not easy to talk about.”

Katara drummed her fingers against her leg. “If you want, we can work on some of the other questions. I looked them up online.”

Zuko looked over at her, his eyebrow arched. “I thought you were tired.”

“I really just wanted to get away from my family. In case you haven’t noticed, they’re nuts.”

“No, I’ve noticed.” 

Katara reached for her phone before she sat upright. She pulled up the questions on the website she had found before she looked down at Zuko.

“You can come up here,” Katara said shyly. “Might be a little more comfortable.”

His eyes widened fractionally for a moment. “Oh, yeah. Okay.” 

“But leave the fucking Baby Maker down there.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice.”

Zuko stood up. Katara scooted over on the bed and Zuko sat down beside her. They adjusted the pillows until they were both comfortable, and then Katara began to scroll through the list.

“So, the good news is that I already know most of these about you,” Katara remarked. “And you know some about me, but not enough.”

Zuko frowned as he leaned closer to look at her phone screen. “How do you know all of this about me?”

“You’d be surprised at how much random knowledge I’ve amassed just being your assistant.” Katara shrugged. “Honestly, if this is how they test if people are lying or not, they’re not trying very hard.”

Zuko read one of the questions. “What am I allergic to?”

“Pine nuts,” Katara answered readily. 

Zuko read the next question and scowled. “I guess the scar question is kind of obvious, isn’t it?”

Katara’s eyes quickly flickered over his face. “Yeah...but y’know, I’m  _ pretty  _ sure you have a tattoo.”

Zuko quirked his brow as the corner of his lips turned up. “Oh, you’re  _ pretty  _ sure?”

“Pretty sure. Six months ago, your dermatologist called and asked about a Q-switched laser. So naturally, I Googled Q-switched laser and found that they do, in fact, remove tattoos. But you cancelled your appointment.” She eyed him. “So what is it? Tribal ink? Barbed wire? Something you got after a drunk night of partying in college and regretted?”

Zuko snorted out a laugh. “Ah, no, none of the above.” He let out a breath. “It’s a...phoenix. I got it to...as a fuck-you to my dad. To show that I’m not him. That I can rise from the ashes.” He looked away from her. “Agni, that sounds really stupid to say out loud.”

Katara looked at him and gave him a soft smile. “No, it’s not stupid. I think that’s a great reason to get a tattoo. Cathartic, even.”

“Thanks.” He looked at her from the corner of his eye. “Do you have any tattoos?”

“Nope. This is a blank canvas.” Katara pursed her lips. “I’ve always wanted one, but I’m a little scared. Do they hurt?”

Zuko shrugged. “Depends on where you get it.”

“Where’s your phoenix?”

“On my ribs.”

“Did it hurt?”

Zuko grinned. “Like a son of a bitch.” He appraised her, his eyes falling on the shape of her legs beneath the quilt. “But I hear thighs aren’t so bad.”

“Let’s move on to the next question.” Katara settled deeper into the pillows as she blushed. 

“Are there a lot of questions?”

Katara arched her brow at him. “Why? Do you have anything better to do?”

Zuko let out a dramatic sigh and tucked one hand behind his head. “Nope. Let’s do this.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I know in the movie, Andrew has issues with his dad. And I really debated on Hakoda and Katara having similar problems, but I love Dadkoda too much (maybe if this was written as Hakoda having been more absent, I would've gone with it) and I think we have enough strife with Ozai. So I settled on writing in Unalaq instead. (I almost went with Pakku, but I decided against it).
> 
> And for any clarification on throwing these random LoK characters in, Korra's dad, Tonraq, and Unalaq, are Hakoda's brothers (Kanna's sons). So Korra, Desna, and Eska are all Katara and Sokka's cousins.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katara's parents drop an unexpected bomb on them. Later, Zuko has a...spiritual...encounter in the woods.

When Katara was pulled from the depth of sleep and into the hazy cusp that was somewhere between dreams and wakefulness, she found herself pleasantly warm and utterly comfortable. 

She let out a sigh and snuggled deeper into the pillow. Then she realized that her pillow was more firm than it should have been. And it was breathing.

Katara lifted her head and looked up at the same time Zuko opened his eyes and glanced down at her. 

He blinked owlishly. “Good morning.”

“Morning,” Katara murmured. 

Suddenly realizing she was still laying on his chest (and woefully embarrassed about possible morning breath) Katara pulled away and flopped back against her own pillow, realizing as she did that on top of using his chest as a pillow, her leg had also ended up between his in the night. 

“Sorry,” Katara muttered as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. “We must’ve...fallen asleep.”

Zuko stretched, and she heard his spine pop before he settled against the mattress. “I’d say so. It was definitely more comfortable than sleeping on the floor, though.”

“At least we’ll be back in our own beds tomorrow night.”

Zuko exhaled deeply. “Oh. Right.” He hadn’t thought about Katara going home to her own apartment. 

She sat upright and reached for her phone, but it wasn’t plugged in on the nightstand. Katara patted down the bed.

“Is my phone over there somewhere?” she asked.

Zuko searched through the quilt and found it before he handed it over to her. Katara checked her notifications. 

“Suki wants us to come by her gym before we head out,” Katara said.

“Sounds fun.”

Katara slipped out of bed. “Gran will probably make breakfast, too.” She grabbed her hoodie and turned back to Zuko, who hadn’t moved from the bed. “You coming?”

Zuko cleared his throat. “Yeah. In a minute.”

Katara eyed him. “Is everything okay?”

Color rose in his cheeks. “Um...it’s morning.”

Katara barked out an incredulous laugh as she planted one hand on her hip. “Seriously? Does that happen  _ every  _ morning?”

“Well shit, it’s not my fault  _ you  _ had your leg over my dick!” He looked away from her and scrubbed his hand down his face. “And it doesn’t happen  _ every  _ morning.”

Katara shook her head, still laughing. She was headed for the door when there was a knock. She froze, her eyes flickering over to Zuko.

“Good morning!” Kya called through the door. “Gran made cinnamon rolls!” 

The door knob began to turn and Katara moved quickly. She tossed the hoodie over the desk chair and threw herself back onto the bed, slipping under the duvet. 

“Do  _ not  _ touch me with your...thing,” she hissed at Zuko.

“Wasn’t planning on it,” he muttered back.

The door opened, and Kya stepped into the room. Her mother was carrying a tray piled with cinnamon rolls and coffee, and she was smiling widely. 

“Here you go! Breakfast in bed.” Kya carried the tray over to the bedside table and set it down. “We know you have a long trip back to Ba Sing Se this afternoon, so we wanted to have breakfast ready for you.”

“Thanks, Mom,” Katara said. 

“Oh, Gran didn’t have to go to that trouble,” Zuko murmured.

Kya waved him off. “Oh, you’re family now! It’s no trouble.”

Hakoda appeared in the doorway. “Is there room for one more?”

Katara sat upright. “Wow, could we not do the Brady family meeting right now?”

Hakoda came into the room anyway and rested his hand on Kya’s shoulder. “Your mother and I have come up with a proposition and I happen to think it’s a terrific idea—”

“We want you to get married today,” Kya interrupted excitedly.

Katara’s jaw dropped. “What? Why? How?”

“Whoa,” Zuko said, shocked. 

Kya shrugged. “Well, you’re going to get married anyway, so why don’t you get married here so we can all be together? And that way Gran-Gran can be a part of it, too.”

“I...don’t think that’s really necessary,” Katara stammered out. “It’s not like our wedding would be that far out anyway—”

“And my family would like to be a part of it too,” Zuko added. “Thank you, that’s a really nice offer, but—”

Gran-Gran suddenly shuffled into the room, followed by Pakku. “I’m ninety years old. It would be a dream come true to see my granddaughter get married.”

Guilt and panic washed over Katara. They  _ had  _ to convince her family to wait. They could  _ not  _ get married today. Katara wasn’t ready for that. 

“And you  _ will _ , Gran-Gran,” Katara said firmly. “Just not today.” 

Kanna pursed her wizened lips. “I’m no spring chicken, Katara. Each day I wake up is a blessing. Nothing would make me happier than to see the two of you get married—besides having a grandchild, of course.”

“I want you to be there, Gran,” Katara insisted pleadingly. She looked over at Zuko. “But we need to think about Zuko’s family, too. His uncle and mom would want to be there.”

Kanna let out a dejected sigh. She looked at Katara beseechingly. “Have the two of you even set a date?”

Katara side-eyed Zuko. “Um, no. Not yet.”

“Exactly.” Kanna sighed again. “Nothing would make me happier than to see the two of you get married...before I’m dead.”

“Gran!” Katara said exasperatedly. 

“What about Winter Solstice?” Kya suggested. She looked between all of them. “It’s a little over a month away. Is that enough time for your family to be able to attend, Zuko?”

Zuko glanced at Katara, wishing he could read her mind. How far off did she want to put off the wedding? Of course Zuko didn’t want to get married  _ today _ , but it  _ would _ have to happen sooner or later. And the sooner they  _ did  _ get married, the quicker INS would be off their backs. And the sooner they would be able to get divorced. 

“That…” Zuko began slowly, trying to read Katara’s body language. “Could work…?”

Kanna clasped her hands together excitedly. “Wonderful! We will handle  _ everything! _ ”

“And you can get married in the barn, like we did,” Kya added. “It’s a Kuruk family tradition.”

Zuko rubbed the back of his neck. “Oh, that’s great. I’ve always wanted to…to get married in a barn.”

Kanna smiled warmly. “It’s a sign from the spirits that you’re meant to be together.” She turned and started from the door. “We must give thanks!”

Once Kanna was gone, Kya looked at Katara and Zuko with a happy smile. “Okay, I know I should leave you two alone now, but we’re just so excited!”

“I know. We’re excited too,” Katara said. 

“Really excited,” Zuko added with a false grin.

Hakoda wrapped his hand around Kya’s shoulder. “Come on. We should go.”

Katara waved them off. “Go, go!”

Once her parents were out of the room, Katara buried her face in her hands and groaned despondently. 

“Oh. My. Spirits. When my mom finds out this whole thing is a sham, she’s gonna be crushed.” She gestured neurotically at the door. “And my grandmother is gonna die!”

“Your mom’s not gonna find out,” Zuko said placatingly. “And Gran will be fine.”

“I mean, what are they thinking? Get married  _ today?  _ They’re more excited than I thought. And when Sokka finds out—”

Zuko rubbed her back soothingly. “They’re not gonna find out, Katara.”

“Oh, spirits, what did we  _ do? _ ”

Zuko started to rub her shoulders. “Hey, hey, they’re not going to find out, okay? Everything is fine. The wedding is a month away, and we’ll have it all figured out. There’s nothing to worry about.”

Katara closed her eyes as she felt the tension in her shoulders ease under Zuko’s touch. He was surprisingly good at this. And he was right. She couldn’t panic. She had to keep it together. 

But for how long? When Katara had agreed to all of this, it had all felt so...surreal. And it had sounded  _ easy _ . Marry a guy to keep him in the country, get a cushy promotion in the meantime, then have a quiet divorce and go their separate ways. Easy.

Somehow, Katara hadn’t quite grasped how serious this would become. It would’ve been easier if they could have kept this a secret, but of course that couldn’t happen. She hadn’t thought about how much this would truly affect their lives.

And this morning? What was  _ that? _ They’d fallen asleep together last night and woken up all tangled up together, and neither of them had even batted an eye. Just yesterday, Katara had been horrified when his hard-on accidentally brushed against her ass. And now Zuko was rubbing her shoulders like...like he was her boyfriend.

_ What the fuck are we doing?  _ Katara asked herself.  _ This is supposed to be business.  _

“It’s gonna be okay,” Zuko murmured. “It’s not like we’re gonna be married forever. We’ll be happily divorced before you know it.”

Katara nodded before she slipped out of his grasp, reaching for the coffee and the mugs on the tray. 

“How about some coffee?” she asked as she poured each of them a cup. 

“Everything is gonna be fine.”

Katara looked back at him as she passed him the coffee cup. “Yep. Everything is great.” 

Zuko got out of bed, carefully so he didn’t spill his coffee. “I’m uh, I’m gonna go. I think I’m gonna go outside.”

Katara frowned as she brought her coffee mug to her mouth. “Are you okay?”

Zuko pulled a change of clothes out of his suitcase. “Yep. Everything is great. I’m just gonna...get dressed and take a walk.” He looked out the window. “Beautiful day.”

“You hate the cold.”

“It’s good for the lungs.”

Katara frowned. “At least eat a cinnamon roll. For Gran-Gran.” 

Zuko stretched across the room and snagged a roll off the plate. He tipped it in her direction before he ducked out the door. Katara watched after him, still frowning. What the hell had gotten into him?

* * *

“Okay, you just...just have to focus, Zuko. This is a  _ business _ deal. This is just a business deal. Everything’s going to be just fine.” 

Zuko’s sneakers slid across a frozen sheet of ice on top of the snow and for a moment his arms windmilled before he regained his balance. He let out a huff of air, which crystalized in front of his face and reminded him of how cold it was out here. 

“Okay, this is a little rough. I can do this.”

Zuko continued down what he supposed was usually a path that cut through the woods behind Katara’s family’s house when it wasn’t buried under a half a foot of snow. Bare tree branches snagged at his coat and scratched at his hands and face, but they were a miniscule annoyance compared to the tornado of thoughts running through his head.

Katara. Sleeping beside him. Soft, warm Katara who smelled like cherry blossoms. He’d woken up with her thigh on his junk, and it had done very, very funny things to him. And now he couldn’t stop thinking about the kiss they’d shared, and the fact that their wedding had been moved to just over a month away.

He had kept himself together during Katara’s freak-out, but now he could feel himself spiraling. He’d known that one day he and Katara would get married; of  _ course _ he did. That was sort of the end result when you asked someone to marry you. But it had seemed...far away. Hazy, like a dream. 

When Ty Lee had first brought it up, it had seemed like an easy solution. Marry a woman, gain citizenship, divorce her in a couple of years. But now things were getting complicated. Zuko didn’t like that. His life had finally gotten to a place where it was  _ not _ complicated, and what did he do? Fuck it up.

He wasn’t...he didn’t  _ like _ Katara. Not like that. No way in hell. She was just a pretty woman, with a nice laugh and a great sense of humor. And he’d been spending a lot of time with her. A physical attraction was a  _ normal _ response to that, wasn’t it? Zuko hoped so, or he worried he might be in trouble.

He was so lost in thought that he didn’t see the tree root that was poking up through the snow. The toe of his shoe caught it, and suddenly Zuko found himself tumbling down a short incline. He finally came to a stop, his ribs breaking his fall against a boulder that was also buried under the Agni-damn snow.

For several moments, Zuko lay starting up at the frosted canopy above him, his ribs aching as he tried to catch his breath.

“Fuck,” he managed to rasp out. “Agni, I hate nature! I hate it! I just wanted some fucking air!”

He pushed himself into a sitting position and gently prodded his ribs. They smarted, but they weren’t broken. Zuko would bet that they weren’t even fractured. Then he heard what sounded like a drumbeat, and strange chanting. 

“What the fuck is that?” he muttered as he got to his feet.

Zuko picked his way through the undergrowth until he saw a break in the trees. The drumbeat and chanting were getting louder, and he caught the smell of woodsmoke on the air. Finally, he came to the edge of a clearing where he found a small bonfire burning in the middle of it, and a small figure clad in a blue tribal robe. Zuko frowned, wondering what in the hell he had just wandered into.

“Come to me, Zuko of the Fire Nation,” the figure called. It turned, and Zuko suddenly recognized who it was. “It is I, Gran-Gran.” She gestured to him. “I see that you are a curious one.” Kanna waved him towards her. “Come. See how I give thanks to the spirits.”

Zuko shook his head. “You know, actually, I’m not that curious.” He jerked his thumb back in the direction he had come from. “I’ll just…”

Kanna spread her arms wide. “Look around you. The spirits have provided all of this, just as they have brought you and Katara together to be joined.” She smiled warmly at him. “We must give thanks and ask that your loins be abundantly fertile.”

Zuko choked suddenly on his own saliva as a red heat crept into his cheeks. But apparently, Katara’s grandmother was oblivious to his obvious discomfort.

“Come. Dance with me in celebration.” Kanna gestured for him to come closer.

Zuko shook his head and managed to find his voice. “You know, I can uh, I can just thank her from here.”

Kanna reached into the folds of her blanket and threw a handful of powder onto the fire. The flames exploded with a roar and Zuko flinched. He didn’t like fire. Not ever since his dad...

“I insist!” Kanna bellowed.

Zuko held his hands up. “Okay, okay, okay!” He started deeper into the clearing. “I...will come down and dance with you.”

Kanna beamed a smile at him as she started to move around the fire. “Follow and learn.” She began to dance, her movements in time with the music that played. Zuko thought this might have been the weirdest thing he had ever been subjected to.

“Come on, Zuko!” Kanna enthused. “Feel the rhythm of the drums.” She began to chant again, her wavering voice carrying over the clearing and causing gooseflesh to prickle across his skin. She looked at him. “Now you.”

“Me what?” Zuko asked.

Kanna waved her hands toward him. “Chant.”

“Chant what?”

“Whatever comes to you,” Kanna said sagely. “To the trees! To the spirits! Whatever comes to mind.” 

She began to chant again, but to Zuko, it just sounded like gibberish. He felt foolish, but Kanna was watching him expectantly, and he didn’t want to offend her. He mimicked her movements and began to circle the fire, humming under his breath. 

“To the universe!” Kanna cried out. She continued chanting.

Zuko went along with the drum beat playing on Kanna’s boom box. It sounded sort of similar to a song that was nagging at the back of his mind, and before he knew it, Zuko was mumbling the lyrics.

“To the window, to the window, to the wall, to the wall.” Zuko shut his eyes and tried to drown out Kanna.  _ Can’t offend her. Gotta make a good impression. Great song choice for that, buddy.  _ “To the sweat drip down my balls, all these bitches crawl…”

Kanna eyed him curiously, like he’d lost his mind, and for a moment, Zuko was absolutely certain that he had offended her.  _ Must’ve hit my head on that fall,  _ he thought distantly.

But the lyrics continued to pour from him, and Kanna picked up the pace of her dance, and Zuko followed suit as his voice grew more confident. He continued to sing as he and Kanna went around the fire.

“All skeet skeet, motherfucker, all skeet skeet hot damn!” He pointed at Kanna. “Gran-Gran, let’s take it to the bridge!” He began to dance more confidently. “Let me see you get low. You scared, you scared!” Kanna imitated his movements as he sank into a crouch. “Drop yo ass to the flo’. You scared, you scared—”

Then his eyes landed on Katara, who was watching on the edge of the clearing with an amused smile on her face. Zuko came to an abrupt stop, straightening up suddenly. 

“Whatcha doing?” Katara asked languidly.

Zuko straightened, planting his hands on his waist as an embarrassed heat rose in his cheeks. “You know, your grandmother wanted me to uh, chant. Chant from the heart.”

Her eyebrow arched. “Balls? That’s what came to your heart?”

He shrugged sheepishly. “I just went with the beat.”

Katara let out a laugh. “Sokka and Suki are back at the house, ready to take us to the gym. You wanna go?”

“Oh yes, I want to go.” Zuko looked at Kanna. “Is that okay? If I go?”

Kanna vowed to him. “Whatever you do is what shall be.”

“Right.” He jerked his thumb at Katara. “But it’s okay if I go?”

She shooed him off. “Go on.”

Zuko walked up to Katara, feeling equal parts relieved and embarrassed. 

“Bye, Gran!” Katara called to Kanna. The two of them started into the woods. She eyed Zuko with a smirk. “You’re a freak.”

Zuko scowled down at her before he reached over and tugged on her ponytail. “Shut up. You will  _ never  _ speak of this.”

Katara’s answering cackle echoed through the frozen forest, and Zuko just shook his head.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katara and Zuko check out Suki's gym before heading out of town, and Sokka challenges him to a "friendly" sparring match, forcing Katara to drop a truth bomb. Later, Zuko and Katara try to prepare themselves for what the future holds.

“Wow, the place looks great, Suki.” Katara cast another look around at the shiny new equipment and freshly-painted walls. “How did you guys afford all of this?”

Suki shrugged with a smile. “A combination of the federal government and the school system. We uh, started offering martial arts classes and an after-school club, so the city sponsored us.”

“That’s so awesome. I’m happy for you guys.” Katara ran her hand along the handle of a treadmill. “This place has come so far.”

Suki smiled proudly. “It’s definitely not a run-down boxing studio anymore, huh?”

Sokka looped his arm around Suki’s shoulders and pressed a kiss to her temple. “And this is just the beginning. One day you’ll own a whole chain of  _ Suki _ gyms.”

“For the last time, it’s  _ Kyoshi Fitness _ .” She shrugged off his arm as she rolled her eyes.

“Whatever.” Sokka looked at Zuko with a grin. He threw some fake punches at him. “Wanna spar before we take you two back to the docks?”

Zuko held his hands up. “I don’t know about all that, man.”

“Come on! What, are you, scared?” Sokka grinned fiercely as he lunged at Zuko again, which he dodged. “Just one match, dude.”

Katara rolled her eyes as she let out a dramatic sigh. “Seriously? Is this because Zuko completely demolished you at pool the other night?”

“Whaaaat? Fuck no.” It was Sokka’s turn to roll his eyes. Then he looked back at Zuko. “Katara mentioned you like martial arts. I like martial arts—”

“You like watching your  _ wife _ participate in martial arts,” Suki corrected with a snort.

Sokka glared at her for a moment before he turned to Zuko again with a friendly smirk. “What do you say?”

“For real?” Katara planted her hands on her hips. “When will this...this pissing contest end?”

“Once your fiancé spars with me.”

Katara raised her eyebrows at Zuko, who just shrugged. She let out a sigh before she crossed her arms over her chest with a shake of her head.

“Men,” she scoffed.

Zuko looked at her. “I don’t mind. It’s just a friendly sparring match, right?” He gave Sokka a look.

Sokka gave him a tight smile, and Zuko suddenly wondered if he had made a mistake agreeing to this.

“Right,” Sokka said. 

“Alright, back there.” Suki pointed. “Last thing I need is blood staining up the new carpet in here.”

The four of them went into a back room that was clearly meant for martial arts. Rubber mats covered the floor and several punching bags were hung from the ceiling or were perched on stands. Sokka kicked off his boots and shrugged out of his jacket before he strode out onto the mats. He turned back to Zuko as he stretched his arms.

“You coming or not?” he called.

Zuko glanced down at Katara, arching his brow as the corner of his lips tugged up in a smirk. “What do you think? Think I can take him?”

“Oh yeah,” Suki said with a snort. 

“I heard that!” Sokka yelled indignantly.

“Good,” Suki retorted. 

Katara offered him a smile and nudged him with her elbow. “Don’t hurt him too bad.”

Zuko smirked at her. “I love your confidence in me.”

He slipped out of his shoes and coat and met Sokka on the mats, stretching his arms out. It had been a while since he’d sparred with anyone, so he hoped he wasn’t too rusty. It would be embarrassing to get his ass handed to him by Katara’s brother.

“I’m reffing,” Suki told them. She counted off the rules on her fingers, giving the guys a pointed look. “No headshots. No nut shots. Down for five seconds, you lose. And...go!”

The guys brought their hands up and began to circle each other. Zuko wasn’t taking this too seriously. He wasn’t  _ actually  _ going to hurt Katara’s brother. That wouldn’t exactly win him any favor. He decided to let Sokka have the first hit.

Sokka lashed out suddenly with a tight fist to Zuko’s ribs. The blow smarted, and Zuko made sure to tighten his defense before he threw a punch. Sokka deflected it before following through with another punch. Zuko jumped out of the way and jabbed out, catching Sokka in the stomach.

“Shit,” Sokka grunted. “That actually kind of hurt.” 

“What, you want me to go easy on you?”

He grinned, white-teeth flashing. “Hell no.”

Sokka feigned a punch and when Zuko went to block it, he brought his leg around in a kick that nearly knocked Zuko off of his feet. Zuko recovered in time to raise his arms to stop another punch. Katara’s brother was better than he had anticipated. 

“So,” Sokka said as they continued to spar. “When did you realize you liked my sister?”

Zuko grunted as he caught Sokka’s fist against his forearm. “The moment I saw her.”

“Yeah?” Sokka jabbed out again, and Zuko blocked it before following through with a punch of his own. “That’s why she always called to bitch to me about what an asshole you are?”

The brazenness of his tone had Zuko faltering for a moment. It was enough of an opportunity for Sokka to kick Zuko’s leg. Zuko stumbled back as Sokka came at him again.

“I’m an asshole to work for,” Zuko gritted out as he landed a punch on Sokka’s ribs. “Not to date.”

“Really?” Sokka narrowed his eyes. “Then tell me why the fuck immigration called me, asking if this relationship was legit?”

Zuko froze. “What?”

Sokka used Zuko’s momentary pause to lunge forward and land a punch on Zuko’s face. Zuko staggered back.

“Hey, no headshots!” Suki exclaimed.

“What the hell, Sokka?” Katara snapped. 

Sokka ignored them as he glared at Zuko. “You fucking heard me. What the fuck did you do?”

Zuko wiped a drop of blood from the corner of his mouth before he glared at him. “I didn’t do  _ shit _ .”

Sokka jabbed out again, but Zuko was ready for him. He blocked the punch and Sokka shoved against him.

“Did you bribe her?” Sokka demanded to know, slamming his hands against Zuko’s chest and pushing him back. “Coerce her? Threaten her?”

Zuko felt anger boil up within him. Sokka was way over the line. He shoved Sokka back, hard. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Sokka’s lip curled back in a snarl. “Or are you just playing her, and she has no idea?”

“Watch it, buddy,” Zuko hissed.

Sokka slammed into him again. “Don’t fucking lie, asshole! I  _ knew  _ this whole thing was off from the minute you got here!”

Zuko shoved him back. “Back the fuck up, bro. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Hey, what the hell is wrong with you?” Katara strode out onto the mat. The friendly match was clearly not “friendly” anymore. 

Sokka wheeled on her, jabbing a finger at Zuko. “His fucking immigration lawyer called me. Did you know he’s about to be deported?”

Suki gaped at them, her eyes widening in shock. “ _ What? _ ”

Sokka curled his lip at Zuko. “Yeah, and marrying Katara is just for citizenship.”

Zuko shook his head. “You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.”

Sokka ignored him as he faced his sister. “Did you know, Katara?”

Katara looked back and forth between her brother and Zuko. What could she say? Would he believe her if she kept up the lie? She knew he wouldn’t. It was clear by the look on his face. The gig was up. 

Katara took a deep breath to steady herself, closing her eyes briefly. “Yes.”

Sokka stared at her for a moment as he processed it, jaw slightly agape. He blinked owlishly before he found his voice. “ _ What? _ ”

Zuko was staring at her with wide eyes, but Katara pressed on. “Yes, I knew. That’s why...that’s why I agreed to rush the engagement.” She paused to smile in what she hoped was an adoring way at Zuko. “Because I couldn’t bear the thought of losing him.”

“Holy shit,” Suki breathed. 

“Are you serious?” Sokka asked her, still stuck in disbelief.

Katara nodded. She interlocked her fingers with Zuko’s. “Yes. I...I love him, Sokka. And when his visa application was denied, we panicked. But we knew he couldn’t get deported if he married an EK citizen, so here we are.” She shrugged. “And that’s the truth.”

For a moment, no one said anything. Sokka stared at his sister, his expression unreadable as he processed everything he had just been told. Zuko stood tensely, ready to run or hit Sokka if he needed to. Katara met her brother’s gaze unwaveringly, her countenance neutral, never letting go of Zuko’s hand. Suki’s eyes flickered between all of them, as if she was waiting to see how this was going to play out. 

Finally, Sokka spoke. “That’s...the truth?” Katara nodded. His eyes narrowed. “Then what was all that shit the lawyer was saying? She was asking if this seemed...sudden. Suspicious.  _ Illegal _ .” 

“They do that to everyone. It’s standard,” Katara said smoothly. She let go of Zuko’s hand to cross her arms over her chest and jutted one hip out, which Zuko had come to learn meant that Katara wasn’t fucking around. “We’re telling the truth. We were expecting Zuko’s visa to go through, which was why we were taking our time before going public with our relationship. But then Zuko’s application was denied, and it backed us into a corner. So here we are.”

Suki appraised Zuko with one hand on her hip. “Why was your application denied?”

Zuko rubbed the back of his neck, wincing slightly. His mind was whirling as he tried to process everything that had just happened, and his mouth was throbbing from where Sokka had punched him.  _ Note to self: avoid being hit by Sokka _ , he thought. 

“I...left the country, for work,” he said sheepishly. “When I wasn’t supposed to.”

Suki crossed her arms and arched her brow at him. “That’s funny. Last I checked, the South Pole isn’t part of the EK, either.”

Katara looked at her brother, her brow suddenly knitting in concern. “You didn’t tell his immigration lawyer we were here, did you?”

“She said Kyoshi Island.” Sokka gave her a flat look. “So I said we were on Kyoshi Island. You’re welcome.”

Zuko and Katara breathed a collective sigh of relief. Sokka’s eyes flickered between the two of them.

“She said that if...if you guys  _ were _ lying, you could go to prison for five years,” Sokka said slowly. “So if she thought you guys were on Kyoshi, I’m gonna back you up on that.”

“Thanks, Sokka.” Katara offered him a shaky smile. “I’m gonna tell Mom and Dad too, before we go. The immigration lawyer is supposed to call all of you guys to check out our relationship.”

“You think they’re gonna take that well?” Suki asked curiously.

Katara let out a sigh. “Better than Sokka, hopefully.” She eyed Zuko. “Or Zuko might have a shiner to match that bruise on his lip.”

Zuko touched his thumb to his lip and winced as it smarted. He could feel it swelling already. He just hoped it didn't bruise too bad. Sokka gave him an apologetic look before he extended his hand. 

“I’m sorry about that, man,” Sokka said apologetically. “I get protective over Katara ‘cause she’s a fucking idiot and she dates assholes. I thought it was more of the same.”

“Hey, I’m  _ right _ here,” Katara protested.

“Yeah, maybe you’ll learn something,” Sokka replied.

Zuko cleared his throat as he shook Sokka’s hand. “Don’t worry about it. Can’t say your concerns weren’t justified, especially since  _ someone _ referred to me as Asshole for quite some time.” He shot Katara a look.

“Sorry.” Katara tucked her hair behind her ear as she offered a sheepish smile. “I mean, you  _ are _ kind of an asshole. But it’s what I like about you.”

Sokka gagged dramatically. “Gross.”

Suki held her hands up. “Okay, are we done here? We’re all on the same page? No one is gonna punch someone else?”

Sokka looked at Zuko, his lips pursed. “Well...that was kind of a cheap shot. As an apology, I’ll let you take a swing at me.”

“Spirits, Sokka!” Katara gave him an exasperated look. “If you both go home all banged up, that’s gonna look  _ really _ suspicious. What are you gonna tell Mom and Dad? Gran-Gran?”

“Friendly sparring match.” Sokka shrugged with a grin. “Boys will be boys, right?”

Suki gave them all a mischievous smile as she tapped her finger against her lips. “I don’t know...that  _ does _ sound fair. Thoughts, Zuko?”

Zuko swallowed. “Well, I mean—”

“Come on. Just do it.” Sokka shook himself before he jutted his chin out, ready for a hit. “One punch. Call it even.”

Zuko looked at Katara, who just rolled her eyes. 

“He’s not gonna let it go, so just punch him,” Katara told him. “Do us all a favor and knock him out, will you?”

Zuko exhaled. “Alright…”

He brought his fist back and punched Sokka square in the chin. Sokka hit the mat with a resounding smack. He lay on his back for a moment and Zuko felt his breath hitch in his throat, wondering if he really had knocked him out. 

Then Sokka sat upright and wiped the blood staining his lips on the sleeve of his shirt. He offered Zuko a grin. “Fuck, you punch hard.”

Zuko extended his hand and helped Sokka to his feet. “So, we’re good now?”

Sokka kept his grip on Zuko’s hand for a moment longer as he said, “As long as you don’t fuck with my sister, we’re good.”

* * *

“Well, overall, I think that went better than either of us expected.” Katara took a drink of her first-class cocktail. It was still strange sitting in this part of the plane, rather than commercial. She eyed Zuko and his slightly-swollen lip. “Aside from my brother punching you in the face.”

“And your parents pressuring us into getting married in a month. And the awkward birthday dinner. Oh, and let’s not forget the Baby Maker.” Zuko tipped his own drink down his throat. “But other than all of that, yeah, everything went great.”

Katara snorted. “I’m just glad my parents took the whole you not supposed to leave the country thing well.”

“Yeah, same. I guess you were right.” Zuko rubbed his eyes wearily with one hand. “Still, I don’t think it won me any favors with them, though.”

Katara let out a sigh. “It doesn’t matter. It’s over. We made it through.”

Zuko shook his head. “This is just the beginning. They’ll be out for the wedding, and then there will be holiday visits and phone calls and the expectations of grandkids, and then wondering why we haven’t had any yet, and then the inevitable divorce—”

“Okay, that’s enough for you.” Katara reached over and pulled the glass from his hand, ignoring the way her skin tingled where her fingers brushed against his. “We will deal with all of that when we come to it, okay? In the meantime, it’s nice to know we can pull this off, don’t you think?”

“Yeah, I guess.” Zuko leaned his head back against the seat and exhaled deeply. He’d been helping himself to the complimentary liquor, and his head was starting to buzz. “I’ll...call my mom tomorrow. Let her know about...the wedding.”

“A month isn’t a long time to plan a wedding,” Katara muttered. “At least my parents were understanding about why we couldn’t get married in the South Pole.”

Zuko scrubbed his hand down his face. “I’m sure it didn’t win me any brownie points with them. They were already skeptical of me. I don’t think that helped.”

“You don’t know my parents. They’re pretty understanding, for the most part. They might not be  _ thrilled _ , but it’s not the end of the world.” Katara eyed him. “What about your mom? How do you think she’s going to take it?”

Zuko let out a huff of air. “If she didn’t think this was bullshit before, she’ll definitely know it is once I tell her.”

“Well, it’s not  _ our  _ fault. My parents pushed it on us.” Katara shrugged. “And maybe it’s better this way, you know? It keeps immigration out of our hair. The sooner we’re married, and all of that.”

“Yeah, maybe you’re right.”

“Think of it this way: the sooner we get hitched, the quicker the five years’ll be up. And getting married sooner leaves less opportunity for one of us to get cold feet.”

Zuko glanced over at her, arching his brow. “Who are you trying to convince? Me or you?”

Katara offered him a small, sheepish smile. “Both?”

Zuko chuckled dryly. Then he peeked over at her again. “So, I was thinking. We’ll be landing pretty late...you might not be able to get a taxi or Uber or whatever back to the Lower Tier. Why don’t you stay at my place tonight?”

“My car’s parked at your apartment.”

“Shit. That’s right.” Hw frowned. “Still. It’s a long drive back, and you’ll already be at my place to pick up your car.”

Katara quirked her brow at him. “You sure?”

Zuko nodded and offered her a lopsided smile. “Yeah, I’m sure. No reason for you to make the drive all the way down to your place.”

“What about work in the morning?” Katara asked. 

Zuko waved her off. “You already scheduled the day off. I’ll just call out. It’s not a big deal.” 

“Wow, Zuko Sozin is calling out of work?” Katara let out an incredulous laugh. “I don’t think I’ve seen you miss a day once since I started working for you.” 

Zuko took his drink back from her. “That’s because I haven’t. But this has been an incredibly trying weekend, and I’d like nothing more than to sleep in then lounge around in sweats all day watching bad cable TV.” He looked over at Katara with a smirk. “It can even be  _ Teen Moms,  _ if you want.” 

Katara returned the smile. “That sounds amazing.” Then she groaned. “Except we can’t. We have our interviews tomorrow.”

Zuko rubbed his face again as he let out a groan. “Shit.”

“Yeah.” She peeked up at him with a shy smile. “But I’d be down for bad TV and maybe some take out afterwards.”

The corner of his lips tugged up as Zuko quelled the burst of happiness that bubbled up in his chest. 

“Okay,” he said. 

After a few minutes of silence, Katara quietly asked, “Do you think we know enough about each other to pull this off?” 

Zuko looked over at her, his countenance serious. “I guess we’ll find out tomorrow.”

* * *

“Dead, dead, dead on my feet,” Katara mumbled as she and Zuko rode the elevator up to his apartment. Sleep was tugging at her eyes, and it was taking a conscious effort to keep them open. “All I want is to sleep.”

“Soon,” Zuko murmured, his eyes already closed. He could never sleep on a plane. He stifled a yawn behind his hand. “We gotta be at Ms. Wu’s office at ten thirty in the morning, so no sleeping through your alarm.”

His yawn caused a chain reaction for Katara, and she felt her jaw pop. “What time is it now?”

Zuko checked the time on his watch. “It is...almost four thirty.”

“Shit.” Katara yawned again.

The elevator doors opened, and Katara reached for her suitcase, but Zuko snagged it before she could. She gave him a look and he shrugged before they stepped out into the hallway. They shuffled quietly to Zuko’s door. He unlocked it and the two of them went into the dark apartment.

“Spirits, it’s freezing in here!” Katara complained as she rubbed her hands against her arms.

“I turned the heat down before we left,” Zuko said. He set the suitcases down in the living room before he crossed over to the thermostat and turned it up. “Sorry. Give it twenty minutes or so, and it’ll be warmer.”

“I’ll be unconscious by then.” Katara reached for her suitcase. “I’m just gonna put on my pajamas and crash out.”

Zuko grabbed her suitcase before she could pick it up. “I’ll get that for you.” He started for the guest bedroom.

Katara arched her brow at his retreating back. “You realize there’s no one here to see us, right? You don’t have to be the doting fiance right now.”

“Yeah, well, it wouldn’t kill me to be nice even when no one is watching, right?” Zuko opened the guest bedroom door and set her suitcase inside before he turned back to look at her. He rubbed the back of his neck. “And...to be honest, I can’t stop thinking about what you said the other night.”

Katara frowned as she walked towards him. “What?”

Zuko couldn’t quite meet her gaze. “About...what you said. About working for me.”

Katara froze, taken aback momentarily. She forced herself to look at him. “Oh...you know, it’s okay. Really. You don’t have to...to try to make up for it or anything.”

“No, Katara, I feel like I do. I  _ should _ .” Zuko shook his head. He let out a deep breath.“I’ve got a lot of shit going on, and I know I’m an asshole. I’ve been an asshole for a long, long time. And I know I wasn’t easy to work for. I was demanding, and short-tempered, and I expected way too much from you—”

“Zuko, it’s fine.” Katara reached out and let her fingers brush across his arm. “Bosses aren’t supposed to be nice. Maybe sometimes you were a little harsh, but I get it. And...these last few weeks, I’ve gotten to know who you really are.”

Zuko finally looked her in the eye. “Really? And who am I?”

Katara offered him a smile. “You’re a good person, Zuko. Underneath that...that tough-guy, asshole exterior, you’re actually really nice, and funny. I’m sorry I called you an asshole.”

“No, it’s okay. I really deserved it.” Zuko exhaled before he offered her a half-smile. “We should probably get some sleep.”

He stepped away from the door, and Katara went past him. He caught the smell of her perfume as she drifted by him, and he closed his eyes as he breathed it in. She lingered in the doorway for a moment, turning her bright blue eyes up to him.

“See you in the morning,” she said softly.

Zuko nodded. “Yeah. Try not to oversleep, okay? I really don’t want to have to wake you up again.”

Katara cracked a grin. “If you do, next time I recommend shaking my foot or something.”

“Won’t you just kick me?” 

She let out a little laugh. “I’m sure your reflexes will kick in. Good night.”

“Good night.”

She went inside and closed the door. Zuko lingered outside of it for a moment even as the weariness tugged at his eyelids. He could hear her moving around in there, probably putting on her pajamas. Then he let out a breath and went to his own room. 

His own bed was warm and comfortable, and he couldn’t help but wonder what it might feel like to have Katara laying in it beside him. Then with an exasperated sigh, Zuko rolled away from the empty side of the bed and forced all thoughts of Katara from his mind as he finally fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've always wanted a friendly spar between Zuko and Sokka. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! We're deviating from the original movie once again (because, obviously, they would've gotten married, Zuko would've left her at the altar and faced deportation, Katara would travel a thousand miles to confess her feelings, and then kissed him while the entire office looked on, and that would be the end). So, we're getting more build-up to the romance. Prepare for pining, familial meddling, sparrowkeets-in-the-belly, and immigration breathing down their necks. 
> 
> Updates may come less frequently as I devote more time to my Zutara Big Bang project as well as the up-coming Zutara month. Next update should be around March 2nd.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko finally tells Katara the truth about his dad, and it's much worse than she had imagined. The following morning, the two of them try to prepare for the interview while also attempting to stifle their growing attractions towards each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warning: parental abuse.

Despite how tired she was, Katara found that sleep was almost impossible. After she had bid Zuko goodnight, she had changed into pajamas and fallen into bed. Her eyes had shut and then...nothing. She was staring at the inside of her eyelids.

It wasn’t that the bed wasn’t comfortable. It  _ was _ . The sheets were silky and the pillows were soft, but Katara just could not fall asleep. She couldn’t shut her brain off. She was stressed out about the interview in the morning. She  _ thought _ she knew everything there was to know about Zuko, but what if she was wrong? And what if he forgot something crucial about her, like her birthday? 

If they screwed this up, Katara was probably going to prison and Zuko would be deported. Their families would find out, and all of this would have been for nothing. They would lose everything. Anxiety twisted Katara’s gut into nervous knots and kept her brain wide awake. 

Finally, with a frustrated sigh, Katara threw the covers off and got out of bed. She paused with her hand on the doorknob, wondering where she was going and what she was planning to do.

She took a breath before she stepped out into the quiet apartment. The only light on was the one above the stove, and it cast a faint yellow glow across the apartment. Katara crept down the hallway to the bathroom, her eyes lingering on Zuko’s bedroom door for only a moment.

After she relieved her bladder, Katara poked around. She felt a little guilty about snooping through his things, but she figured that sooner rather than later, she would be sharing this space, and maybe she had a right to. 

She found expensive soaps in the shower and expensive cologne in the medicine cabinet. There was a small collection of medical supplies, and a nice straight razor too. The bath mat on the floor and the towel that hung on the rail beside the shower were soft cotton.

Having thoroughly inspected everything, Katara left the bathroom and went into the living room. She turned on the lamp on the end table and took a look around. 

She had spent quite a bit of time here in the last few weeks, but she had always felt...out of place. Guarded. She had always been here with Zuko. Sure, he was just asleep down the hall, but it would have felt weird to check it out with him right there.

Now she was alone. Katara took her time running her fingers over the cool leather couch before she drifted over to the large bookshelf that lined the wall behind it. Zuko seemed to have an eclectic taste in reading material. There was a mixture of fiction and nonfiction. There were plenty of books on marketing, some of which she had read, but there was a large collection of fiction as well, ranging from classics like Dante and Mark Twain to modern fics by David Baldacci and James Patterson. 

Katara picked up one of the framed pictures on the shelves. It was of Ursa, Kiyi, Zuko, and a man she presumed to be Ikem, Ursa’s second husband. She could see the sun shining on the ocean behind them. Katara wondered if the photo was taken in the Fire Nation. It was clearly an older picture: Kiyi couldn’t have been older than ten or eleven, with braces on her teeth, and Zuko looked younger too, with shaggy hair that fell into his eyes. He was smiling. He looked happy. 

She didn’t hear him come into the room until he spoke from behind her, startling her.

“I just remembered that I never told you about my dad.” Zuko’s voice was a low murmur. 

Katara spun around, clutching the picture frame to her chest like she’d just been caught doing something that she wasn’t supposed to. Zuko was standing by the couch, dressed in a white shirt and black sweatpants, his hair mussed. Katara wondered if it was from sleep or if he’d been running his hands through it as his mind ran at a million miles a second, the way hers was.

“Shit,” she managed to say. “You scared me.”

“Sorry.”

Zuko came deeper into the room, his footfalls silent on the hardwood floor. He gently pulled the picture from Katara’s hand before he looked down at it, his brow furrowing slightly. Then he put it back in its place on the shelf. 

He looked up at Katara. “My mom divorced my dad when I was eleven. After...this.” He gestured to his face. He let out a breath. “It was a long time coming, but that was her breaking point. I was in the hospital, and she packed up our shit in the middle of the night and left. She and Azula stayed with me in the hospital while she drained as much money as she could from their bank accounts. Got a restraining order, filed criminal charges, and divorced him. It was the best thing that’s ever happened to all of us.”

Zuko turned and walked away from her. He went into the kitchen and Katara trailed after him as he pulled two glasses out of the cupboard before he fetched a bottle of bourbon out of a second cupboard. He poured a shot into each glass before he handed one to Katara. She took it from him and watched as he tipped his drink down his throat. Then he refilled his glass.

Zuko brushed past her and went back to the living room. He sat down on the couch and balanced his glass on his knee, staring at it contemplatively. Katara tiptoed delicately back into the living room and sat on the other end of the couch, tucking her legs beneath her. 

She waited. She didn’t want to ask questions, or pry. She wanted Zuko to tell her whatever he wanted to, whatever he was comfortable with. Katara had always assumed that things had been bad with his father, but this was worse than she had imagined. Katara had wondered about the scar...but somehow, it hadn’t occurred to her that abuse may have been the cause. 

And really, that could explain so much about Zuko, and Azula too. If they were abrasive and cold, it was likely a product of the environment in which they had grown up. It could explain Zuko’s harsh exterior, but how he was so kind and thoughtful once he let go of the asshole facade. 

“He was always this...this prick,” Zuko murmured. “For as long as I could remember. My mom met him when she was in college, and she got pregnant with me. He wanted her to have an abortion, but when her parents found out, they wouldn’t have it, so they told his dad. They basically forced them to get married and have me.” He shook his head bitterly. “He never wanted me. Azula though...he adored her. He used to tell me that she was born lucky. And that I was lucky to be born.”

Katara blinked back the tears that had suddenly sprung into her eyes. Zuko took a drink off of his bourbon and let out a deep breath. 

“He never hit her. Azula.” He cleared his throat. “He tore her down in other ways. Held her to these...these perfect standards. She always had to be the best in everything. School, her hobbies. And if she wasn’t...he would just give her this lecture, and his disappointment was enough. But she knew what he did to me and to our mom, and it terrified her. Not enough, though.”

Katara finally found her voice. “What do you mean?”

Zuko exhaled. “Well, after Mom left, she won custody of us. After my father got out of jail, he fought for custody of Azula. The courts were skeptical of it, given what he’d done to me, but he did his parenting classes and anger management and all of that shit, and by then Azula was old enough to choose, so she went and lived with him. She didn’t walk away from him until a few years ago.”

“Oh. Um, what made her do that?” Katara asked hesitantly. 

He shrugged. “She came out. On top of being a raging asshole, my father is also homophobic.” Zuko let out a wry snort. “So he disowned her. She called me, and I brought her out here. We hadn’t had much of a relationship before that, but we’ve gotten closer. I introduced her to Ty. The two of them hit it off. Ty’s really helped her get through this shit with our dad.”

“That’s good,” Katara said quietly. She peeked over at him. “What about you?”

Zuko glanced at her briefly before he looked away. “I’m alright. I’ve worked through it. Went to therapy. Made my peace with it.” He polished off his drink. “It hasn’t been easy. But I think I’ve come out on top of it, you know?”

“I think so,” Katara said. “And I really think you have. That sounds like it must have been...really awful. I’m sorry it happened to you.”

Zuko shrugged. “Shit happens. But it’s made me who I am. I’m stronger because of it. And I know I will never,  _ ever  _ be like him.” 

Katara leaned forward and set her drink down. “Thank you. For telling me. I know how hard that must have been.”

Zuko let out a dry chuckle. “You have no idea. I’ve never told anyone else about it, except for Ty Lee, and even that was...the censored version. It’s hard to talk about that. To open up. I don’t...really do that. Open up to people.” He snorted. “Maybe that’s why I can’t keep a girlfriend. I don’t know how to let anyone in.”

“I don’t let anyone help me,” Katara said softly. “I feel like I have to do everything on my own. I always have. I worked my ass off in high school to get all the grants and scholarships I could, so my parents wouldn’t have to give me any money for it. I think that turns most guys off.”

“Well,  _ I  _ think it’s one of your finer qualities,” Zuko remarked.

Katara quirked her brow at him. “Seriously?”

“Seriously.” Zuko nodded. “You were, by far, the best assistant I ever had. You never bothered me with the menial shit. You handled it on your own. I never had to ride you to get things done, either. In fact, if I recall correctly,  _ you _ were reminding me of the things  _ I  _ needed to get done.”

Katara chuckled. “Yeah, that’s true. You’re a smart guy, but your memory isn’t worth a damn.”

“Probably from the four concussions my dad gave me.”

Katara’s laugh cut off suddenly, her eyes widening as she looked at him. “Shit, Zuko. I’m sorry. I didn’t even think—”

Zuko shook his head before he looked over at her. “No, don’t do that shit to me, Kat. I don’t need you...tiptoeing around me because you know my dad liked to kick the crap out of me when he’d get pissed off. I told you. I’ve dealt with it. I’m over it.” He let out a wry chuckle. “I don’t know, maybe it’s fucked up, but Azula and I joke about it as a...a coping mechanism. So, if that bothers you, I’m sorry and I won’t do that in front of you.”

Katara leaned closer to him. “No, no, it’s fine. I just—I didn’t want to be insensitive. This is...it’s kind of a lot.” She puffed out a breath of air. “It’s not what I was expecting about your dad at all.”

Zuko let out a bitter noise. “You can understand why I don’t tell people, then.” He looked over at her. “Iroh—and Ikem, even—have been more like a father to me than Ozai ever was. They’re the ones who encouraged me, who pushed me to go for my dreams and helped me along. Ozai? He’s dead to me.”

“I’m glad you had them, then.” Katara reached out and rested her hand on his forearm. She could feel the warmth of his skin beneath her palm, and the fine hairs covering his arm. Zuko glanced down at her hand before he met her gaze. “I’m sorry all of that happened to you. I’m glad you got away from it.”

Zuko dropped his eyes to her hand, which was still resting on his arm. Then he reached over and tentatively let his fingers brush against the back of her hand. He looked up at her and found her wide blue eyes studying him. His breath caught in his throat at the intensity of her gaze. 

Then Katara looked away and cleared her throat. She reached for the glass of bourbon on the coffee table and drank it down. Then she looked back over at him with a small smile.

“It’s after five a.m.,” she drawled. “Should we abandon sleep, or give it another shot?”

Zuko looked at the clock on the wall and exhaled deeply. “Well, after all the shit I just unloaded, I don’t think I’m gonna get any sleep. You?”

“Probably not.”

Zuko leaned forward and grabbed the remote. “Five hundred fucking channels, and the only thing on at five a.m. is spirits-damn infomercials.”

Katara cracked a grin. “Maybe it’ll bore us to sleep, then.”

They settled against the couch to watch TV, or maybe to watch the sunrise. Katara wasn’t certain. All that she knew was that sitting there, in that apartment, with Zuko, felt...nice. Comfortable. Like something she could get used to.

That thought was both comforting, and terrifying.

* * *

Zuko awoke to the distant sound of an alarm beeping. He opened his eyes slowly, frowning at the daylight pouring in through the open living room windows. Then he looked down and found Katara sleeping in his lap. 

He suddenly recalled the previous night. He had woken up and found himself unable to go back to sleep. Then he had heard what could have only been Katara moving around in the living room. He’d found her in there. He’d told her about his dad. Then they had fallen asleep on the couch together. And apparently, she’d ended up on his lap. 

Zuko studied her for a moment. Her hair was a tangled mane falling across her face and tickling his arm, which was resting on her side. The sunlight cast the shadows of her thick lashes in the hollows of her eyes. Her full lips were slightly parted, and she was snoring quietly. 

Bathed in sunlight, she was beautiful. Maybe she always had been, and he’d just never noticed. But she was. And Zuko realized that more and more each day he spent with her. 

And that could be a problem. This—their marriage—was supposed to be business. He wasn’t supposed to find her beautiful. He wasn’t supposed to be attracted to her, not even a little bit. But Zuko would be lying to himself if he said the tent in his sweatpants was just morning wood.

_ Fuck, get a grip,  _ he reprimanded himself.  _ You can’t think like this about her. You can’t. You cannot fucking fall in love with her.  _

So instead, Zuko shifted himself, cradling her head, until he was able to stand up and lay her head gently on the couch. Katara didn’t even twitch. Zuko turned away and tucked himself into the waistband of his sweats before he went into his bedroom and turned off the alarm. Then he went back into the living room. He moved to the foot of the couch and carefully grabbed her ankle, shaking it gently. 

Katara woke with a start, pushing herself up onto her elbow. She looked up at Zuko, her eyes wide. “I didn’t oversleep again, did I?” 

Zuko looked at the clock on the wall. It was just after seven a.m. “Nope, not today. We did, however, pass out during the middle of a commercial with some old guy telling us this little magic pill gave him his libido back.”

Her nose crinkled as she sat up the rest of the way and stretched. “I’m glad I don’t remember that at all.”

“I wish I was so lucky.” Zuko turned and started for the kitchen. “I’ll put on some coffee. You can take a shower first. There’s uh, extra towels in the linen closet.” He pointed. “And you like your eggs over easy, right?”

Katara gave him a surprised look. “Very good. Maybe we aren’t fucked after all.”

“Maybe not.” He shot her a grin. “How do I like my eggs?”

“Scrambled or fried, or in an omelette. Runny yolks freak you out.”

He winked at her. “Very good.”

Katara got off of the couch and went into the guest room. She found her final change of clean clothes—the nice blouse, slacks, and cardigan she had packed specifically for this interview, which meant that maybe she knew all along that she would spend last night here—and her bag of toiletries before she ducked into the bathroom. 

She relieved her bladder before she brushed her hair and stripped, folding her dirty clothes into a neat pile on the top of the closed laundry basket. Then she turned towards the shower and inspected the fixtures, and realized that Zuko’s shower was way fancier than anything she had ever experienced. She didn’t even want to try to turn it on, in case she broke it.

“Shit,” she muttered.

Katara turned to grab a towel...and realized she hadn’t pulled one out of the linen closet. She eyed Zuko’s towel, which was hanging from the back of the door. She pulled it down and wrapped it around herself quickly, tucking it beneath her arm. She glanced down at herself before she heaved a sigh and opened the door fractionally, poking her head out into the hallway. She could smell eggs cooking.

“Zuko?” Katara called out, her voice higher than she wanted it to be.

She could hear the sound of a spatula scraping against a frying pan. “Yeah? Everything okay?”

Katara chewed her bottom lip. “Um...don’t think I’m an idiot, but I can’t figure out how to turn this shower on.” 

She heard his low chuckle before he said, “Okay, I’m coming.”

Katara left the door cracked as she stepped back and crossed her arms over her chest, feeling oddly exposed standing there in just a towel. 

A moment later, Zuko poked his head into the bathroom. His eyes widened fractionally as he took her in, but then the corner of his lips tugged up into a lopsided smirk.

“Is that my towel?” he asked as he stepped into the bathroom. 

She blushed furiously. “I...forgot to grab a towel when I came in. Sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it.” He crossed the room to the shower. “Turn the water on like this, then adjust the temperature and water pressure with these knobs.”

Katara gaped. “You can change the water pressure?”

Zuko looked back at her. “Yeah. It’s pretty easy. Do you like a lot of pressure, or no?”

“I like flay-the-skin-off-my-back water pressure.” She stepped closer to the shower and watched as he adjusted the knobs. “The shower at my apartment has the water pressure of a light mist. It pisses me off.” 

Zuko straightened and turned to face her. Katara didn’t miss the way his eyes flickered up the exposed length of her legs before landing on her face.

“All set,” he said. He gestured to the door. “Do you want me to grab you a towel? Like, for your hair or something?”

Katara chuckled. “You’re so thoughtful. Yeah, that would be great.”

Color rose in his cheeks as he headed for the door. “Well, I grew up with sisters. And Azula and Ty Lee manage to dirty up every fucking towel I own when they’re here. I assume it’s for all their fucking hair.”

“Well, I have a lot of fucking hair too.”

“I know. That’s why I asked.”

A moment later he handed her another towel, then he shut the bathroom door. Katara heaved a heavy sigh and let the towel drop before she stepped under the spray. The water pressure was amazing. Katara could stay under there forever. 

But Zuko still needed a shower, and they had to get ready for their interviews. So Katara reached for her bottle of shampoo and tried to ignore the way her stomach was twisting into knots.

* * *

  
  


Zuko was still smirking softly to himself as he went back into the kitchen to eat his breakfast. He’d prepared his own food first, since he figured he had enough time to eat and make Katara’s breakfast before she was done in the shower, if the length of time Azula and Ty Lee spent in there was any indication.

It was amazing how much time his sister and her fiancée spent at his place, as if their own apartment wasn’t just as nice. It seemed Ty and Azula were spending the night at least once a week, on top of his weekly lunches with Azula.  _ Agni, when did I start spending so much time with my sister?  _ Zuko wondered as he carried his breakfast and coffee to the dining room table. 

He had a forkful of scrambled eggs halfway to his mouth when his phone began to vibrate. He picked it up and saw that Azula was calling. He wondered if she had some crazy psychic sense, then decided it was probably just coincidence. He swiped the screen and pressed the phone to his ear.

“Hey.”

“Hello, brother dear. Tell me, how is Kyoshi Island this time of year?” Azula drawled languidly. “I hear it’s a bit nippy. Usually snows around now. Don’t you hate the snow?”

Zuko popped his eggs into his mouth and chewed before he answered. “Yes, I do, and yes, it does. But we weren’t on Kyoshi.”

“Oh, you weren’t? That’s funny. I must have misheard Uncle when he told me you were going there to meet Katara’s family.”

“What’s another lie to immigration?” Zuko took a drink of his coffee. “Her parents live in the South Pole, which, as it turns out, is even worse than Kyoshi during winter. It snowed like, a foot while we were there. And my phone got jacked by a fucking bird.”

Azula barked out a laugh. “Wow, sounds like you had a grand old time. But other than that, how did it go? Are her parents buying it? Because I’m pretty sure our lovable fuddy-duddy uncle is only a little suspicious, but Mom...well, she was definitely sniffing around.” 

Zuko sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers. “I knew she’d pick up on it, but I was hoping she’d buy it for a while.”

“Please, Zuzu. Where do you think we get our sharp wit from? It’s certainly not our father.”

“Right.” Zuko glanced over at the stove. He needed to get Katara’s breakfast started before she got out of the shower. “I’ve got to go. We have our interviews this morning. But there’s one more thing I gotta tell you.”

“What, you didn’t fuck this up already, did you?”

“Your faith in me is inspiring, Azula.” Zuko rolled his eyes. “No. Katara’s parents...they took this better than expected. So much so that they wanted us to get married yesterday.”

Azula laughed incredulously. “What? Are you fucking serious?”

“Yeah. We talked them into pushing it back...until the Winter Solstice.”

Azula whistled. “Wow, that’s close. A lot sooner than you expected, isn’t it?”

“To be honest, I hadn’t really thought that far ahead.” Zuko sighed again. “It seemed simple. Tell INS I was getting married and then...just not think about it.”

“Don’t you even think about backing out, Zuko,” Azula said sharply. “You’re in too deep now.”

“I  _ know _ that,” Zuko snapped. “I’m not backing out. There’s no way. Katara will literally go to fucking prison.”

“Hmph. And how’s she handling all of this? There’s nothing stopping her from cutting and running to the South Pole and leaving your sorry ass at the altar.”

Zuko stood up and went towards the stove, turning the burner back on before he grabbed the eggs out of the refrigerator. “Honestly, she might be holding it together better than I am.”

“I guess you picked the right fake fiancée.” He could hear what was almost pride in Azula’s voice. “Just wait until Ty finds out about the wedding. She’s going to lose her shit.”

Zuko cracked the eggs into the frying pan. “Better put her in touch with Katara’s mom and grandma. They’re planning it all. And apparently, we’re having the wedding on Kyoshi. Katara’s uncle has property there.” 

“Lovely. Have you thought about a honeymoon?”

Zuko snorted. “It’s a fake wedding. There’s no reason for a honeymoon.”

“If you want it to look authentic, there is,” Azula quipped coolly. “Why don’t you take her to Ember Island? We’ve got the old family summer home there.”

“No one’s been there since before Mom divorced Ozai,” Zuko said. “And I don’t think my citizenship goes through that fast.” 

“I don’t see why you couldn’t go. Get a cleaning crew in there to get it ready, talk to your immigration lawyer. It’ll probably be a nice vacation. When was the last time you had one of those?”

Zuko snorted. “This weekend is the closest I’ve had in at least five years.”

“You know, if you don’t learn how to relax, you’re going to drop dead of a heart attack in the next fifteen years,” Azula said dryly. 

Zuko rolled his eyes. “Thanks. It’s not like you know how to relax either.”

“Sure, I do. Ty Lee has been showing me some yoga moves. And we fuck. A lot.”

“Too much information.” Zuko grimaced as he transferred the eggs to a plate. He heard the bathroom door open. “Gotta go.”

“Think about it, Zuko. Ember Island.”

“Will do.” 

He hung up the phone and turned as Katara walked into the living room. She’d done her makeup and her damp hair fell freely to her waist and she looked...beautiful.

_ Not beautiful,  _ Zuko corrected mentally.  _ Just..nice.  _ But he knew he was full of shit.

“Here you go,” Zuko said with a cheeriness that sounded forced to his own ears. “It’s not exactly what I was thinking when I said I’d cook for you though.”

Katara smiled at him as she took the plate and headed for the table. “Smells good, though. Thanks. And that shower is to die for.”

“Well, soon it will be yours.” Zuko joined her to finish his now-cold breakfast. “I guess we should probably figure that out, huh?”

Katara’s nose crinkled. “At least I rent my apartment on a monthly basis. But I’ll need to put in a thirty day notice.”

“Maybe you should do that.” Zuko peeked up at her. “If...if you want.”

She cast a look around his apartment. “I can probably rent a storage unit for my furniture. There’s plenty of space in the guest room for my clothes.”

“You can bring whatever you want,” Zuko told her. He frowned thoughtfully. “We’ll have to get you put on my lease.” 

Katara frowned. “You don’t own this place?” 

“No.” Zuko looked around. “I didn’t exactly plan on living here forever. So I just...kept renting.” 

“Oh.” Katara took another bite of her eggs. “I guess I’ll put in a thirty day notice tomorrow.” She calculated the dates in her head. “That puts me moving in...right before the solstice.” 

Zuko sipped his coffee. “Well, if you start moving your things in, you can probably be here sooner than that.” 

“Are you okay with that?” Katara peeked up at him. 

Zuko shrugged. “I wouldn’t be asking if I wasn’t.”

Katara met his gaze. “Okay. I’ll start moving things in this week.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We finally get the truth about Ozai, and tons of wonderful fluff to lighten the mood. I feel like Zuko gets morning wood a lot in this story. Is it too much? Cause I just think it's flippin' hilarious. 
> 
> The prompts for Zutara month have officially been released, so I'll be hard at work cooking up ideas for those. And I have my new multi-chapter novella, "Black Bird in A Blizzard" that I'll be posting over the next few weeks, so be sure to check that out. Expect the next update for The Proposal to come around March 23rd.


End file.
